The Elder Scrolls: The Arc's Shout
by Izlawake
Summary: When Team JNPR are mysteriously whisked away to another world, they discover that Jaune has mystical powers and that he may be the only one who can vanquish an ancient evil that has returned to claim this new world as its own.
1. The Hero's Arrival

A/N: Just a note, a number of things, including dialogue will be changed to give a better experience and so JNPR's tale through the land of Skyrim is less like the game.

**The Elder Scrolls: The Arc's Shout**

**Chapter: The Hero's Arrival**

The Elder Scrolls foretold the return of the World Eater, Alduin, and the rest of the dragons, whom will consume the world of Tamriel. Five important events that occurred in the past mark Alduin's return. The first was the shattering of the Staff of Chaos. The second was the destruction of the Golem Numidium. The third was the eruption of the Red Mountain. The fourth event was the Oblivion War, when the gates were slammed shut by Martin Septim, ending his bloodline with his sacrifice forever. The final event is when all of Skyrim erupt in Civil War with each other, one side being the Stormcloaks composed of the Nords, and the Cyrodill Empire.

This is when Alduin makes his return, but there is one who who can stop him: the Dragonborn, a mortal who is born with the soul of a Dragon and capable of fighting them on another level. Sadly, the line of incredible men died out long ago, but the Elder Scrolls speak of the last Dragonborn who will rise and defeat Alduin. As for when it will happen, only time will tell…

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

In the kingdom of Vale, at Beacon Academy, Jaune Arc sat on his bed reading a fantasy novel involving brave heroes and fierce monsters. Pyrrha was on her own bed reading one of her favorite issues of "X-Ray & Vav," Nora was polishing her Magnhild, and Ren was having a light nap on his bed. Jaune was feeling particularly bored this lazy Sunday afternoon, and he longed for something fun to do with his teammates.

"How about we all go somewhere today to have some fun?" Jaune said to everyone. Pyrrha and Nora glance at him, questioning his decision. Ren, hearing his leader's voice, snapped from his nap, rubbing his eyes and feeling a little irritated at the disturbance.

"Sounds like a great idea, Jaune," Pyrrha remarked. Pyrrha almost always agreed with Jaune unless it sounded like a really bad idea.

"We can go see that new movie in theaters," Nora suggested.

"We are not going to watch a horror movie," Ren groaned. "At least no this early."

"Well, there's the new Scruce Willis movie out right now," said Jaune. "I think it was Die Easy 5, yeah."

"I'm up for that." Pyrrha agreed.

They all dressed in their casual clothes and headed out. Out in the city of Vale, things were normal as ever. "So, has anyone watched the previous Die Easy movies?" Ren asked.

"I saw the first three, didn't like the fourth so much," Jaune admitted.

"I only saw the first," said Pyrrha.

"I've seen none of them," said Nora.

"Well, it's not like you need to see the first four to watch the fifth."

Ren let out a sigh. "I swear, they need to start making more original films."

Team JNPR walked past a lonely alley, not noticing the three figures inside, peeking out at them as they pass. "Is that the one?" one hissed.

"Yes," hissed another. "I can taste his soul leeching from his body." He drew a dagger from his belt and the other two followed suit as they followed after JNPR.

JNPR continued on their way for a while, turning a corner with the movie theater a block away. Pyrrha drew everyone close to her without making it noticeable. "Someone is following us," she whispered. "When we turn the next corner, we take them by surprise." Everyone nodded and continued walking, acting natural.

Upon turning the next corner, the teens planted themselves against the wall and waited. The three stalkers approached the corner and were grabbed by Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. Jaune forced the dagger out of one of their hands and put him in a headlock. "Why are you following us?" he demanded. The stalker refused to talk, but Jaune squeezed his neck tighter. "TALK!"

"Lord Alduin sent us here to find you, Jaune Arc," the stalker spoke.

"Alduin?"

The stalkers all grinned. They all suddenly shouted a word that the teens could not understand, but they were suddenly hit with some kind of force, knocking them backwards and releasing their grips on their captives. They each pulled a vial of strange liquid from their belts and tossed it onto the ground in front of Team JNPR. Strange, blue-colored portals appeared and before they knew what was happening, all of them were sucked inside and the portals disappeared, leaving none of the seven behind. No one who witnessed this had an inkling of what had happened.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

When Team JNPR came to, they found themselves shivering on a snowy mountain pass. The three men that attacked them were lying nearby, but they were about to come to as well. Not knowing where they were, they all scrambled to their feet and braced themselves for a fight.

One ran at Pyrrha with his dagger, but he telegraphed his stab too early and she simply dodged it, then snatched the blade from and dug it into his back, sending him down to the ground. Ren swatted one's arms aside then kicked him square in the chest, sending him down to the ground followed with a punch to the face, putting him out. Jaune was wrestling with the final stalker, trying to keep the dagger from his face. The stalker pushed him to the ground then threw himself onto the teen. With some quick thinking, Jaune threw his legs up, catching the man and then propelled him over him, sending him screaming down the cliffside. _CRACK!_ The four teens dashed to the cliffside to find the man lying motionless in the snow amidst the large rocks.

"That takes care of that," Nora remarked. "But where are we?" She jumped up onto a boulder and stared all around her, seeing only beautiful mountains and green plains. "I have no idea where we are, it's like we left Vale altogether."

Pyrrha shivered since she was wearing a skirt, stockings, a light t-shirt, a jacket, and walking shoes for clothes. Everyone was a little chilled, but she felt the worst. "We should head north for those plains, it should be a little warm there."

Keeping the sun on their right, the four teens headed north, with Ren leading them along a pathway. After a while of walking, Ren threw up his hand to signal everyone to stop. He scanned the surrounding area, but saw nothing. Pyrrha, however, put her ear to the ground and listened carefully.

"I can hear horses," she said to the others. "At least a dozen, and there's maybe over twenty men. They're off to our left coming in towards us."

"Maybe they can help us," Jaune noted.

"Or maybe they might kill us," Ren told him. "We have no idea where we are, or what kind of people or creatures we will encounter; it'd be best if we stay out of sight."

"But they might be able to help us or give us some warmer clothes to wear," Jaune argued. "If we just let them pass, we might freeze to death out here."

"I have to side with Jaune on this, Ren," Nora said to him.

The team ran west towards the approaching caravan, waving their arms up and yelling for them to stop. They eventually caught their attention, but when they drew near the front of the caravan, they were tackled to the ground by blue-clad soldiers and blades were put to their necks. "Wait, we don't want to hurt you guys!" Jaune let out.

"Let them stand," said the leader, a burly man wearing fur on his shoulders. "Get them some warm furs to wear with those…clothes of theirs."

The soldiers released JNPR and gave them some fur coats, pants, and boots from the back of a wagon. They wasted no time in dressing themselves and expressed their thanks to the leader. "My name is Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King of Skyrim."

"Skyrim? Is that the name of this land?" Pyrrha asked.

"You must be newcomers then, though it is odd that you do not even know the name of one of Tamriel's provinces."

"We came from the Kingdom of Vale from the land of Remnant," Jaune explained.

"I have never heard of such a place. You are all welcome to come with us on our jounrey to Windhelm, my city, until you wish to take your leave."

"Thank you, Jarl Ulfric." The four teens gave a bow and walked alongside the caravan. One of the soldiers offered them weapons in case they were attacked by wild animals; Jaune took a longsword and shield, Pyrrha took a longsword, Nora a warhammer, and Ren a short sword and a dagger. They were shocked to find that they all carried primitive weapons compared to their own back home. The only range weapons they carried were throwing knives, throwing axes, and bows.

They walked on for what seemed like hours until they stopped near the edge of the snowy area, with green fields and trees off in the distance. "The town of Helgen is a about six miles from here. It is under control of the Empire, so we will divert to the east and go from there."

They set off towards the east and were only on the road for about twenty minutes when one of the scouts reported back. "I think there's something out there," he told Ulfric. "I think we may be being wa–" He did not finish his sentence when an arrow sped through the air and struck him in the neck, killing him instantly.

Imperial soldiers clad in red iron armor sprang from either side of the caravan, rushing towards them with weapons raised. "We're surrounded!" Ulfric shouted, drawing his sword. "Fight them off!" Stormcloak soldiers drew their weapons, let out a battlecry, and charged at the enemy.

Jaune was more worried for his friends than anything. He bashed one soldier with his shield, then stabbed another in the chest with his sword, noting how these people do not seem to have Aura to protect themselves. He found Pyrrha fighting off three Imperial soldiers on her own. She ducked under the battleaxe of one soldier and slashed his chest, then kicked another down to the ground. Jaune jumped in and rammed his blade through the last soldier before she could bring her hand axe down onto Pyrrha. They ran off down the caravan, cutting down any Imperial soldier that crossed their path. They found Nora bashing Imperial skulls in and Ren was holding his own against four Imperials, utilizing his Semblance to catch them off guard.

"What should we do?" Ren asked Jaune after they helped him out.

"We should help drive off these soldiers, first of all."

They broke off and went in different directions to fight. Pyrrha went to the rear of the caravan to defend it, Jaune ran to the front to assist with Ulfric, and Ren and Nora went to the center. Up front, Jaune, and one soldier by the name of Ralof sided with Ulfric against a circle of soldiers.

"Still alive, boy?" Ulfric remarked.

"I've been training to be a warrior since I was young, Sir. I won't give up now," Jaune threw back at him.

Two soldiers came at Jaune, but he bashed one with his shield, then decapitated the other. With the final one still dazed, Jaune stabbed him in the heart. When he looked back, five soldiers laid dead at Ulfric and Ralof's feet. They continued fighting on.

Pyrrha sweep kicked one soldier and drove her blade into him, then blocked two sword strikes and stabbed the wielder. She glanced over at Jaune, who was beginning to become overtaken. "JAUNE!" she screamed. Then she suffered a blow to the back of the head and fell to the ground unconscious. Ren ran to her side and fought off the attacker but was soon knocked out as well. Nora soon followed the same fate as well when she was knocked out as well.

Jaune fought with all his might, but he knew this was a losing battle. Ralof was dragged down and knocked out, then Ulfric followed. Two soldiers grabbed his arms, wrestling his sword and shield from him, then a strange soldier wearing light green-yellow armor and wielding a greenish-looking blade, a blade that looked like it was adorned with leaves. He wore no helmet, allowing Jaune to see his slanted eyes and pointy ears. The strange soldier smirked and punched Jaune, knocking him out.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

When Jaune came to, he was seated in a horse-drawn cart. Across from him was Ralof with his head down, a man wearing prisoner rags next to him, and Ulfric directly next to Jaune with his mouth gagged with a rag. Jaune shook his head to clear himself and Ralof was looking at him.

"Ah, you're finally awake," he said. "I was beginning to worry."

"What happened?" Jaune asked.

"We will ambushed by Imperial soldiers and the Thalmor; damn Elves," he explained. "Your friends are in the cart behind us."

Jaune cranked his head back and saw Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren in another cart with a couple Stormcloaks. Their clothes were shredded, dyed with blood, and dirty, much like his own. They looked relieved to see that he was alright though. He looked forward to see a full cart of Stormcloaks being lead by an Imperial soldier wearing fine general-styled armor. A number of Imperial soldiers walked on either side of the carts, making sure the prisoners cannot escape. A number of the Thalmor rode alongside the Imperial general, who Ralof called Tullius.

"What's going to happen to us?" asked the horse thief named Lokir, whom the Imperials caught after the ambush, as they neared the gates of Helgen.

"I don't know," Ralof answered with no heart. "but Sovngarde awaits." That did not sound good to Jaune, who did not know what this "Sovngarde" was, but he did not want to know about it. The caravan was lead through the gates and taken around, where they were watched by the townsfolk.

"Ah, this is Helgen," Ralof said aloud to no one. "I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if that one fellow still makes the mead with juniper berries mixed in." Jaune began to feel a little thirsty. The carts stopped near a stone wall with an open arch doorway. Nearby, a large, masked man with an even larger axe was standing near an iron block. The Stormcloaks in the first cart began descending down to the ground. A female Imperial captain in steel armor and a regular male soldier in padded leather Imperial armor stood a short distance away; the male had a list and a quill pen.

"Why are we stopping?" stuttered the thief.

"Why do you think? End of the line." Everyone filed out of the carts and waited as the male Imperial called out their name, where they moved off the side where more Imperials were to keep them there. Jaune realized too late what was going to happen to them. He bit his lip and looked at his friends; they were equally scared like him.

"Jarl Ulfric of Windhelm," the man, named Hadvar, called. Ulfric moved out to the sidelines.

"It's been an honor, Jarl Ulfric," Ralof called out to him. Ulfric shot him a nod of approval.

"Ralof of Riverwood." Ralof left Jaune's side. He looked over to his teammates and saw them alone with one other Stormcloak soldier.

Hadvar called out Lokir's name now. "No, I'm not a rebel!" he cried. Hadvar and the female captain only stared at him before he suddenly took off. The captain ordered him to halt, but he kept running. "You're not going to kill me!"

"Archers!" the captain ordered. An arrow zipped through the air and hit the thief in the neck, sending him dead to the ground. An Elven archer trotted over to the captain.

"Nice eyes, Thalmor," the captain complimented. "The same will go to anyone else who tries running." The brown-haired Elf glared at all of them with his sharp green eyes.

"Wait, who are you?" Hadvar asked to Jaune. "Come on, step forward." Jaune stepped forward in front of Hadvar and the captain.

"You don't look like a rebel, what's your name?"

"I'm Jaune Arc from the kingdom of Vale. I am a warrior and Hunstmen-in-training, currently enrolled at Beacon Academy with my teammates Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. We are not rebels, we were traveling with the Stormcloak caravan for protection and wares as we…" Jaune cut himself off, knowing that Hadvar would definitely not believe a word he said after that.

"I have never heard of a place called Vale or Beacon. And a Huntsmen? Is that some kind of animal hunter of sorts?" Hadvar looked at the three Jaune mentioned, then back to his list. "Captain, they're not on the list, what should we do?"

"Never mind the list, they all go the chopping block with the rest," the captain answered, shocking Team JNPR.

"But captain–"

"That's an order! These four youths murdered a number of our soldiers. They should be glad they're getting this instead of a more painful death to compensate for our losses."

Hadvar let out a sigh, then turned to Jaune. "I'm sorry, Jaune Arc. We will make sure your remains and your friends are safely returned to Vale, wherever that may be. Move to the side with the others." The look in Hadvar's eyes told Jaune that he was deeply sorry for their fate.

"No, we're not rebels!" Jaune yelled at the captain, lashing at her. Two soldiers grabbed his arms to keep him at bay. One of them punched him in the gut, sending him to his knees.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled, taking a step towards him, but an Imperial soldier barred her off, forcing her to stand down. The four teens were moved to the sideline with the other Stormcloaks. Pyrrha went next to Jaune, who was still breathing hard from the hit. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered, but that was a lie. Deep down, he was scared about what was going to happen to them.

"Give them all their last rites," the captain said to a yellow-clothed priest. The priest began speaking a series of religious verses, clearly made for the soon-to-be departed. She had barely spoke for a minute when one Stormcloak moved forward.

"For the love of Talos, shut up, and let's get this over with!" he barked. The priest fell silent and huffed at him. He moved to the block where he was lowered to his knees and his head placed on the block. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you do the same?" he spoke with pride. The executioner raised his axe high and brought it down. Jaune and company winced and looked the other way as a loud THUNK rang out, sending the man's head into a basket. The basket was taken way and returned empty.

"As fearless as he was in death as he was in life," Ralof said with a sigh.

"Next, the traitor from Vale or wherever! After that, the redheaded Imperial, then the orange-haired and black-haired Bretons who are associated with him!" the captain declared, signifying Team JNPR.

"To the block, prisoner, nice and easy," Hadvar told Jaune. Jaune took a long sigh and stepped forward, then froze when a loug roar echoed across the sky, making everyone look up. "What was that?"

"It was nothing," said the captain. "Move, Imperial traitor!"

"I'm not an Imperial," Jaune declared. "I'm a warrior of Vale!" The captain grew impatient and drew her sword, ready to gut Jaune, but Hadvar stopped her.

"Save him for the block, captain," he whispered to her. "Go, lad, and may the Divines smile upon you."

Jaune nodded to him and took another step, but then Pyrrha came up behind him and spun him around. She reached up and kissed his cheek, looking into his eyes with tears. She had no words left to say and went back to the others, where the three watched with silence. Jaune exhaled and went to the block. He was pushed down. He stared to his left at the executioner and braced for death.

The loud roar was heard again, and Jaune opened his eyes to see a large creature flying overhead. "What in Oblivion is that?!" cried General Tullius.

"Sentries, what do you see?" the captain ordered. The large creature flew back and landed on the nearby tower, sending a shockwave so strong it knocked the executioner to the ground. Jaune jumped from the block onto his back, scrambling from fear. He was staring face to face with a large dragon!

"Dragon!" screamed a Stormcloak. The dragon glared at everyone with slanted eyes and let out a mighty shout in its native tongue, causing the sky to turn a dark color as clouds rolled in. It let out a different shout this time, one that sent a shockwave outward, knocking down anyone in its path. Jaune was thrown onto his back where he laid dazed.

"Hey, get up!" yelled Ralof's voice. Jaune got to his feet to find Ralof before him. "Come on, the Gods won't give us another chance!"

"Wait, my friends!" Jaune argued.

"Don't worry, a few others took them with them inside a building! Concern yourself for now!" With not much else to do, Jaune ran after Ralof into a sentry tower, where two wounded Stormcloaks and Ulfric were.

"Jarl Ulfric, that was a dragon!" Ralof told him.

"No time to be amazed, Ralof. I want you and Jaune here to find us a way to escape; head up the tower to Erendar."

"Here, Jaune." Ralof took a dagger to his bounds and freed Jaune. "Now let us go."

They ran up the tower stairs where they found the forementioned friend. Before they got close, the stone wall shattered to pieces by the dragon, crushing Erendar. Jaune tugged Ralof by the collar and yanked back, pulling them both down the steps, but out of the dragon's fiery breath attack, which roasted anyone up the stairs. The dragon departed, leaving them an opening.

"See the inn right there," Ralof told Jaune, pointing to the exposed room in the inn's roof. "Head through there, I'll meet up with your friends a little later. Go!" Jaune nodded and dove out the opened way, landing with a roll into the deserted inn room. He dropped through an opening in the floor and headed out where an old man and Hadvar were. He watched as Hadvar ran out into the open, scooped up a young child, and dove back to safety just as the dragon unleashed a breath of fire in the area.

"Ah, you're still alive, prisoner," Hadvar said to Jaune. "Keep close to me if you want to stay that way." The old man and the child retreated inside a stone tower for safety, leaving Hadvar and Jaune all alone. "Follow me, and I'll make sure you leave here alive."

Jaune followed after Hadvar closely in and around the burned husks of buildings, passing the charred remains of the dead in the streets with soldiers and mages around them attacking the dragon to no avail. They found the barracks, and when they ran out into the open, they ran into Ralof with Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren, all safe and sound.

"Ralof!" hadvar growled. "Stay out of my way, you damn traitor!"

"We're escaping, Hadvar, and there's nothing you can do to stop us!" he told him.

"Fine, I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde! Come with me, Jaune!"

Jaune was conflicted about who to go with; he knew his teammates would follow him no matter what, but Jaune did not know who to trust more: Hadvar or Ralof. Ralof extended his hand to Jaune, but he was hesitant. Knowing he had little time, Jaune refused the offer.

"I'm sorry, Ralof," said Jaune. "Thank you for everything, but if my teammates and I are to survive, we will need some help from a soldier of the Empire and not some rebels. Forgive me."

"I understand, lad. May Talos watch over the four of you, and may we never see each other on opposite sides of the battlefield." Slapping their hands together in a handshake, Ralof then ran into a different door of the barracks, leaving Team JNPR to go with Hadvar, who was waiting for them.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Inside the barracks, Hadvar went through the chests looking for new clothes, armor, and some weapons for his new comrades. He threw them each sets of tunics, some light Imperial armor, and light Imperial boots. "I know it's not much, but compared to the rags you all are wearing, it's an improvement." He looked away to give the girls some decent privacy while they changed. After that, they went through the weapon racks. Jaune took an iron sword with scabbard, an iron shield, and a steel dagger. Pyrrha grabbed an iron shield, an iron sword, and a javelin for herself. Nora grabbed a steel warhammer, and Ren took two iron daggers, some throwing knives, and two steel short, curved swords for himself. They each grabbed packs and stuffed them with whatever was lying around, including gold, food, strips of cloth, and a couple books.

"Alright, we will need to be careful from here out," Hadvar warned, pulling a chain switch that lifted a nearby gate. Everyone drew their weapons and prepared for whatever danger was ahead. They all walked down the cramped corridor and came upon another gate, with a circular room beyond it with three Stormcloaks inside. "We should try to negotiate with them."

Ren pulled the chain switch and the gate lifted. Everyone moved inside and the Stormcloaks noticed them. "Wait, we don't want–" Hadvar started, but one of them with a battleaxe charged at him. "For the Nords!" the Stormcloak yelled.

Team JNPR knew they had no choice but to fight now. Jaune rushed forward and his shield took the beating of the batleaxe for Hadvar. He threw the battleaxe back with his shield and swung his sword, cutting through flesh. Ren ran at the second Stormcloak, swinging his short blades with lightning speed, sending him down with his friend and Hadvar worked to kill the last one.

"You four are no ordinary youths, are you?" Hadvar asked. "I've never seen such fighting like that before."

"We've all been training to fight since we were young to become Huntsmen back home," Pyrrha explained. "We are much stronger than you think, Hadvar."

"I can see that. C'mon, we better keep moving." Hadvar lead them down a spiraling staircase and into another corridor. At the other end, they could see some figures, but they could not tell right away if they were friendly or not. Before they could get close enough, the ceiling caved in, crushing the soldiers underneath. Team JNPR and Hadvar stumbled, but regained their compose. "Damn, that dragon doesn't let up, does he?"

"How can a dragon be here?" Jaune asked. "I thought they were just in stories."

"They should be. Well, I guess not anymore." Hadvar cracked open the door leading to a cooking area. Inside, there were four Stormcloaks, one of them a big fella with a warhammer.

"Nora, take care of the big guy, we will handle the others," Jaune told them. They threw the door open and rushed in, taking the Stormcloaks by suprise. Nora brought her warhammer down onto the big soldier, but he was fast and blocked it with his weapon, but Nora was faster. She spun around and brought her hammer upward into the soldier's family jewels, making him keel over, then she whacked him in the side and he went down.

Jaune and Hadvar went against a Stormcloak wielding a sword and shield. Hadvar caught his attention with his sword, leaving Jaune open to strike him down. Pyrrha and short work of their own targets and they moved on until Ren spotted a vial of green liquid. "What is this?" he said aloud, bringing it up to his face.

"That's a potion of stamina," Hadvar explained. "Drink that and you will get a burst of stamina. Look around for any healing or magicka potions as well."

"It's like we just jumped into one of my RPGs," Jaune commented, shifting through a barrel and finding a few red healing potions. Pyrrha and Nora found a couple blue magicka and green stamina potions as well. When they finished collecting, they continued on, where they came across the dungeon.

"I wish we never needed this place," Hadvar mumbled under his breath. When they descended the stairs, they found the torturer and his assistant being attacked by Stormcloaks. Everyone ran out and aided their comrades. When the fighting ended, everyone took a quick breather while Hadvar spoke with the two men about the dragon.

"A dragon? Don't be ridiculous!" chuckled the torturer.

"He's serious!" Pyrrha argued. "There's an actual dragon flying around out there!"

"Look, I don't care. I suggest you all continue on; there's a hidden tunnel that can lead you outside of Helgen."

"I'll go with you," said the assistant. He went over to a weapon's rack and took an axe for himself. Jaune went looking in the barred office at the shelves for anything useful. He finds an interesting book labelled "The Book of the Dragonborn," and decided to pocket it. The six party members moved down the corridor, passing the skeletal remains of previous prisoners in cells, and moved into an open area with a running river and at least ten Stormcloaks.

Everyone drew their weapons and moved ahead. Ren pulled a knife from his belt and gave it a flick, where it burrowed into the face of a charging Stormcloak. Nora ran forward, clearing a path for her friends. Jaune blocked an axe strike and stabbed the owner in the gut and moved on.

"Shields forward!" Jaune shouted. Him, Pyrrha, and Hadvar took lead and shielded everyone from the archers on the other side of the room. They slowly made their way forward, where Ren leapt at one Stormcloak, cutting her down with his blades. The assistant took out the last two, making his axe run red with blood. They found a raised bridge at the end and lowered it with a nearby lever.

"More Stormcloaks!" warned the assistant. Everyone looked back to see a dozen soldiers coming straight for them. "Go on ahead! Don't worry about me!"

"Good luck, my friend," Hadvar said. The assistant nodded and took a defensive position as the Stormcloaks charged at him. They never knew his fate for as soon as they all crossed the bridge, they heard the dragon's roar again, and the ceiling came down, destroying any hope of return.

"We have no choice but to move forward through these caverns," Hadvar said, desceneding the stone staircase and onto soft dirt. "Be on your guard, these caves are home to some fearsome spiders."

They made their way through the caverns, killing a few said spiders, which also made Pyrrha shriek as it turns out she is terrified of spiders, so she was not much help to them. They soon neared the exit when they came into an open area with a rushing river and a handcart that had a pouch of gold and some fresh food. The only trouble was the enormous bear that was resting in its little hovel that was in between them and the exit.

"We can try sneaking past her," Ren suggested.

"We can always try taking her on," Nora suggested with a grin. Hadvar swallowed and nocked an arrow to his bow.

"Let's let Jaune decide," he said.

"I have to agree with Ren, I'd rather we try avoiding it unless things go south." Jaune crouched down and slowly made his way past the bear, only freezing in place and hitting the floor when the bear stirred in its sleep. Everyone followed after him and under a makeshift bridge in the river. "Almost there…" They finally cleared it and ran straight for the exit to the surface.

"I'd thought we would never make it," Hadvar commented as they all ran outside and onto the surface.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Everyone was blinded by the sun when they stepped outside, but soon subsided as they stared out at the snowy landscape with green fields and trees shortly ahead. Jaune took a couple steps foward when he was yanked behind a boulder by Pyrrha. The dragon that attacked Helgen flew overhead and head east, with a final roar from it echoed across the sky. When the beast vanished from their sight, they all let out a sigh of relief.

"I need a freaking nap more than anything right now," Ren complained.

"My hometown, Riverwood, is not too far from here," Hadvar told them. "I can take you there."

"No, it's fine," Jaune said, holding his hands up. "You've done so much for us already and–"

"Jaune, I wouldn't have made it out of there without your help," Hadvar argued. "Let me repay you a little more." Hadvar began walking down the path, and JNPR followed after him, knowing they could use a little extra help.

"My uncle Alvor and his wife Sigrid run the town's blacksmith," Hadvar told them. "Riverwood is a quiet little town, but it has a number of business including a saw mill, a tavern inn, and a general store."

"Sounds like a nice little place to settle down in," Pyrrha complimented.

"Thank you. When we get there, my uncle can give us some food, supplies, and even a bed for the night."

They reached Riverwood in about an hour's walk. Walking through the noticeably defenseless gates. They went straight for Alvor's house, where he was working on his grinding stone with a blade. He stopped when he saw his nephew and his friends.

"Hadvar!" Alvor cried, hugging the young man.

"Hello, Uncle," Hadvar said back.

"What has happened to you, my boy? You're covered in dirt and blood."

"Oh, that. My friends and I recently escaped from Helgen. Uncle, the town was attacked by a dragon!"

"What?! So that's what I saw in the sky today."

"Yes," said Pyrrha. "It was thanks to your nephew that we escaped the town, and the same for him."

"Come inside, all of you. Sigrid will serve us all some hot food while you explain the details."

Inside, Everyone sat down at the table. Team JNPR began stuffing their faces almost immediately, showing how starved they were, but the others did not mind.

"Tell me, what happened exactly?" Alvor asked.

"I was stationed with General Tullius' group, you know that," Hadvar answered, biting into some bread. "We had just captured Jarl Ulfric and a group of his Stormcloaks, whom these four were with as travelers looking for safety during their trip. We had almost had them executed until a dragon emerged and destroyed the town. I know Tullius escaped, and Ulfric as well."

"What were kids as young as you four doing out there with Stormcloaks?"

"Jaune, we might as well tell them," Pyrrha said by his side.

Jaune set dow his soup bowl and cleared his throat. "Look, we are not from Skyrim or any part of Tamriel. We came from a land called Remnant, in the Kingdom of Vale, to be precise. We were heading to see a movie when we were attacked by three strange men. They tried to kill me and they used some strange liquid on us, and when we came to, we were here."

Everyone looked at them as if they were crazy, but concerning the dragon they saw, maybe they were not. "Odd, indeed," Sigrid commented. "Did these men mention anything strange to you?"

Jaune hummed to himself, thinking. "One of them mentioned someone by the name of Alduin." Everyone looked at him with shock. "What is it?"

"Are you sure he said Alduin?" Alvor demanded politely. Jaune nodded, unsure of what he meant, and Alvor recognized his confusion. "Alduin was an incredibly powerful dragon ages ago, spoken of in the legends we were told as bedtime stories. He was a dragon that brought about the Dragon War long ago before he was sealed away, never to return again."

"I think that dragon that attacked Helgen may have been this Alduin," Ren noted, sipping a cup of tea.

"I only pray it was not," Hadvar muttered. "If it was him, then Skyrim is in great danger."

"Riverwood is completely defenseless here, we need help from Whiterun as soon as possible."

"We can go and bring back help," said Jaune. "It cannot be that much trouble, can it?"

"You should be careful here. This isn't that Vale place, which sounds peaceful. Here, you never know when or where you'll be attacked by roving bandits, animals, creatures, and with the civil war going on, things can get hairy, so to speak."

"Uncle Alvor, the five of us need a place for the night, and we can us some new weapons and armor."

"Of course," said Sigrid. "Any friend of Hadvar's is a friend of ours. Here's a key to the house, use it anytime. Alvor, can you work on some new gear for our new friends?"

"Yes, dear, I can. What sort of things do you need?"

"I could use a new sword, a sturdier shield, and some light metal armor," Jaune stated.

"The same, but can you craft me a special weapon?" said Pyrrha.

"I need a better hammer," said Nora.

"I could use some regular leather armor and steel daggers, thank you," said Ren.

"I can do all that. Little lady, come with me and I will see what I can do for this special weapon. The rest of you head into the cellar where Sigrid can set up some cots for all of you."

Everyone ate their fill of food and drink, then spent the evening relaxing and sharing stories while Pyrrha helped Alvor with her new weapon: a replaced spearsword for herself. Alvor promised to work all night if he must, and told Pyrrha to get herself some sleep.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

The hours passed by and the moon shone high in the night sky. Alvor wiped the sweat from his forehead as he finished crafting all the armor and shields for the young teens. He had tried multiple times to make the spearsword that Pyrrha drew up for him, but it was unlike any weapon he has ever attempted. He leaned back in his wooden chair and let out a long sigh, deciding he may have to give Pyrrha a regular blade instead.

A couple minutes later, a tall, caucasian person wearing a long, black cloak strolled through the Riverwood gates and went to the blacksmith. He was wearing red and brown traveling clothes with chainmail underneath; he looked like a ranger, if nothing more. "Alvor, I presume," said the cloaked man.

"Who are you? If you're looking for a room for the night, the Sleeping Giant Inn right down the road can help you out."

"I am here for some rest, but I have business to tend to first, mainly with you." He ascended the steps and walked to the smithing area, resting his hand on a longsword at his left hip. Alvor gritted his teeth and reached for the dagger he keep on his belt. "I have no intention of hurting you, I have a gift for you to give to the newcomers known as Team JNPR." The cloaked man went to his back under the cloak and pulled out a roll of fabric. Objects can be heard hitting one another inside it.

"Give the sword to Jaune Arc, and the swordspear to Pyrrha Nikos. The warhammer to Nora Valkyrie, and the daggers to Lie Ren." The man unraveled the roll, revealing a fine, straight longsword made of ebony metal, recognized by the blade's black sheen. The hilt was decorated with a silver hilt, a black grip, and a sapphire was embedded at the end. The spearsword was modeled exactly like Pyrrha's weapon back in Vale, minus the blade being made of fine steel, and there was no way for it to transform into a rifle. There was a wahammer that was clearly made with fine skyforge steel. And finally, two long daggers made with a colored steel to give them a greenish color.

"Who are you, young traveler?" Alvor asked.

"I am none of your concern." The man pointed one of his gloved hands at Alvor, and even though they were next to the smith fire, the hood obscured the man's full face, leaving only his nose and mouth. "Tell them that you crafted these weapons yourself, nothing else." Alvor turned to put the weapons on his table, and when he turned back, the man had disappeared. He sped to the railing to look around, but he was nowhere in sight.

Looking at Alvor's house from his room in the Sleeping Giant Inn, the mysterious man was smoking a pipe with a candle at his nightstand. "The Divines expect great things from you, Jaune Arc," the man whispered to himself. "And so do I and the others."

**CHAPTER END.**


	2. The City of Whiterun

A/N: yes, I know that the Draugr's eyes are actually a light blue, but I believe it's more threatening as a red color, and also, the Breezehome has been altered, so let's move on and for those of who object, quit whining, it's just one little changed detail.

Also, Malukah belongs to…herself. (You are an incredible bard, Malukah.)

**Chapter 2: Visit to Whiterun**

Still on their first night in the mysterious new land of Skyrim, Jaune and company's first day on vacation was less than inviting, ranging from being forced to killing people, being arrested and nearly executed, and encountering a fearsome creature of fantasy tales: a dragon.

During the night while Alvor was working on their new weapons and armor, as well as being visited by the mysterious traveler who gave him the fine grade weapons, Jaune laid in his cot wide awake, thinking over the entire day. His other friends were sound asleep; Pyrrha half-curled into a ball, Nora sprawled out with her blanket barely on her, and Ren lying on his back with one arm up by his head. His own mind flashed back to the three mysterious men who attacked him and his friends, and somehow appeared in Skyrim, only to kill one of them, then having to kill dozens of people, both Empire and Stormcloak, to save themselves. He shivered at the mere thought that he blindly massacred so many people.

"_They all would've killed me if I had done nothing to defend myself,_" Jaune reassured himself. "_But I could've just knocked them all out if I wanted to. How can the others kill without a second thought like that_?" He looked at his sleeping friends, then let out a sigh. He got up and, carefully moving past his friends, he went up the steps to go out for some fresh air.

Outside, he passed by Alvor, who was admiring his new black blade. "How is our new gear coming along, sir?" Jaune asked, surprising Alvor.

"Ah, Jaune, they are coming along quite nicely," Alvor stuttered, stuffing the blade blade away, leaving Jaune none the wiser. Jaune continued on his walk, eventually coming to the saw mill, then behind Alvor's house where he rested on top of a tree stump as he stared into the running river. Hadvar came up from behind him some time later.

"Can't sleep, Jaune?" he asked.

"Nah, this entire day of hectic events got to my head and I just didn't register all the people we have killed today…"

"You never killed someone before?" Hadvar asked, puzzled. "I thought you had considering you are a warrior."

"Well, we are warriors, but we are tasked with fighting against monsters and creatures to protect humanity; we have never fought people before, at least I haven't, I don't know if my teammates have."

Hadvar sat down on a large rock by Jaune. "Jaune, in this world, you're going to have to kill if you want to survive. There are dangerous people in this world who would kill you and Ren, then keep Pyrrha and Nora as slaves to sell off to people. I don't mean to frighten you, lad, but that is just one of the very terrible things that happens in this world, especially around here with the civil war going on."

Jaune let out a sigh and cranked his head up to the sky, looking at the pretty stars. Hadvar, sensing that he wants to be alone, got up and walked off. "Remember what I said, Jaune," he said.

After Hadvar went back inside the house, Jaune got off the tree stump and walked into the river deep enough to cover his feet. He stared at his own reflection, the reflection of a teen, barely an adult, who has only had a few battles in his entire life. Jaune fell to his knees, splashing water onto his clothes. He continued looking at his reflection, reflecting on himself. He stood up and went back to bed.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Jaune and the rest of the team woke up feeling well rested. They came upstairs to a wonderful breakfast on the table for them all, and their new weapons and armor laid neatly on one of the beds. They ate their fill and tried on their new armor, which fit perfectly. Jaune had steel armor with shoulder pads, and steel gauntlets. Pyrrha opted for full steel armor minus shoulder pads, steel Imperial gauntlets, steel Imperial boots, and a copper circlet with an emerald for headwear. Nora wore leather armor with leather gloves and boots, though Ren only had armor and boots like hers. They tested out their new weapons, though Jaune's ebony steel sword was breathtaking to everyone.

"Thank you for this sword, Alvor," Jaune said. "It looks beautiful."

"It was no trouble at all, Jaune." Sigrid took Alvor aside.

"Where did you get that sword?" she whispered to him. "I know you haven't had any experience making ebony weapons, so where did you get that?"

"Don't tell anyone about this but some stranger came around last night and gave me all those weapons they now have." Alvor left Sigrid to finish his breakfast, leaving her concerned about what he just said.

"Look, Alvor made me a spearsword like Miló back home," Pyrrha commented, tracing her fingers along the steel blade that curved like a javelin's down to the long hilt. "Thank you, Mr Alvor."

"It was no trouble, lass."

"Looks like I have a new Magnhild," Nora chuckled under her breath. "Magnhild 2.0, not as deadly, but still quite vicious." Ren shook his head at Nora's comment.

"Thank you for the dagers, sir," Ren mentioned, nodding his head at the blades in approval.

"My uncle has been known for his steel work in these parts," Hadvar praised.

"Well, my work pales in comparison to Eorlund Grey-Mane's skyforge steel weaponry up in Whiterun though."

Sigrid got between the two men right there. "You men can chat another time, we must send these young warriors out to Whiterun right away to send soldiers here before that dragon comes back." She went to another table where four packs sat and gave one to each member of Team JNPR. "There's enough food for a few days in there, a bed roll and water canteens for each of you, some torch sticks, a few potions, and a map and compass so you don't get lost."

"Thank you, Mrs Sigrid," Pyrrha said.

The four and Sigrid headed out the door and out into the morning sun. Hadvar came out behind them shortly after. "Now, to get to Whiterun, you just head east out of town and north across the bridge," Sigrid began. "From there, just follow the path north and Whiterun is just a couple miles away, easy to spot from the mountain pass."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jaune said, and they all bid farewell as they headed east, then north across the bridge.

"Jaune," said Pyrrha. "I went around town yesterday, and Gerdur, who pretty much runs the town, said that Whiterun is home to a man named Farengar, who acts as the Jarl's court wizard."

"Wizard? As in magic, shooting fire, pulling rabbits out of a hat, that sort of thing?"

Nora giggled behind her hand. "Yes, a bit like that," Pyrrha continued. "If we can meet with him, we might be able to devise a way to return home to Vale!" That got everyone excited.

"Hopefully this wizard can help us get home," Ren muttered under his breath.

Pyrrha threw her hand up, signaling everyone to stop. Nearby, a bush rustled, and a lone wolf leapt out at Jaune, who shrieked and shielded himself with his arms. Nora brought her warhammer down upon the wolf, crushing it to the ground where it laid dead. She let out a whoop for joy.

They continued on, climbing up the trail until they came to the wide fields with the city of Whiterun in the short distance away. They all stood side by side staring at the city in awe as a breeze blew through them. "It's so beautiful," Pyrrha commented.

They all stared at the beautiful landscape for quite seemed like forever before Jaune remembered their task. He snapped everyone from their daze and they strolled down the path and onto the fields. They came across a few farms with their farmers tending to their crops.

"Jaune, they're in trouble!" Pyrrha suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a small group of people fighting a Giant. Drawing her Miló, Pyrrha dashed over to help the group while Jaune groaned to himself before running after her. Nora and Ren decided to just stay afar and watch.

"Hit him hard!" called Aela, the group leader. Farkas slashed at the Giant's leg with his steel broadsword, then Ria shot an arrow at its face, but missed. Aela dodged a stomp from its leg, then saw Pyrrha leap at the beast. She channeled her Aura into her hands and feet, allowing her to leap up to the Giant's head in a matter of seconds, where she held on as it swung around, trying to throw her off.

Jaune ran at the beast with his sword raised, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he found himself under the Giant's foot. Aela grabbed him and rolled out of the Giant's area before it could happen though. "If you're can't defend yourself properly, then you're just a burden to us!" she told him before running back to fight the Giant.

Pyrrha held onto the Giant with all her might. She raised her swordspear and drove it into the Giant's skull, making it fall to the ground dead. She brushed the dirt off herself and went to Jaune's aid before Aela had a chance to speak to her.

"You are quite fearsome," Aela complimented after Pyrrha helped Jaune up. "You might have what it takes to become a Shield-Sister."

"A what?" asked the confused Pyrrha.

"Ah, you must be outsiders. See, we Companions are brothers and sisters in arms. We always show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough."

"So you're just mercenaries," Ren commented. "You don't care so long as you get paid."

"Watch your tongue, Breton!" snapped Farkas.

"Cool it, Farkas," said Aela. "Yes, you can say that we are mercenaries or sellswords, but we are far more than that. We look out for one another and we treat our own well."

"Ooh, sounds like fun!" shrieked Nora.

Aela chuckled. "Well, aren't you the excited one. You are welcome to join, Ms…?"

"Oh, Pyrrha Nikos," Pyrrha said with a bow.

"I am Aela, the big brute is Farkas, and this is Ria."

"Nice to meet you." Pyrrha then turned to Jaune. "Jaune, what do you think about them?"

"Wait, that is your leader?" Farkas asked. "The boy looks frail, and I saw how Aela had to rescue him from being crushed a moment ago. He is a mere pup compared to us."

"Hey, you wanna say that to my face?" Jaune growled. Farkas growled at the young lad, standing much taller than him, which sent Jaune crawling back.

"Let me see that sword of yours, Jaune," Aela said, her hand out for his blade. Jaune obeyed and handed the black blade to her, making her gasp in awe. "Such fine care was put in this blade," she commented. "Fine ebony steel…" She swung the blade a few times. "…And it handles quite well. You have a good blade, Mr Jaune, but if you want to become stronger, come to the mead hall of Jorrvaskr, where we reside. We will train you be a better warrior than you can imagine." With her piece said, Aela and her group left them to return to Whiterun, though team JNPR followed after them since they were going to the same place.

Pyrrha and Aela soon struck up a conversation with each other along the trip. Farkas himself walked next to Jaune. "Listen, sorry if I got a little mean at you," he apologized. "If Aela sees potential in you, then I have no reason to believe you're weak." Jaune accepted the apology right away.

Along the way, they passed by some Khajiit caravans situated near the Whiterun gates. Team JNPR froze in their tracks, allowing Aela and his group to continue on without them. The reason why they stopped was because the fact they were staring humanoid cats!

"Why do you stare at us like that?" asked one Khajiit who was tending to a cooking pot over a fire.

"Oh, we're sorry!" said Pyrrha. "It's just that…we've never seen anyone like you before…not that you aren't weird or anything!"

"Rest easy, my child," said another Khajiit, who handed Pyrrha and her team some cups of Khajiit tea. "Drink it, it helps calm the body." The team found that he was right, as their bodies soon felt at ease after only a few sips.

"You guys look so cute!" said Nora. "I just want to pet your ears!" Ren gave the Khajiit a quick apology, but they did not mind Nora's words.

"If you think we are strange, you should see the black-haired beauty Jarl Balgruuf took under his wing recently. She has proven herself to be a powerful ally and soon climbed her way up the ranks to become one of his personal soldiers, next to the Dark Elf Irileth."

"What black-haired beauty?" Ren asked.

The Khajiit hummed for a moment. "I cannot remember her name, but people say she is the offspring of a Khajiit and a Breton, recognized for her cat-like ears and yellow eyes." Team JNPR thanked the Khajiit for his hospitality and continued on, but the woman he described sounded all too familiar.

"You don't think he meant Blake, did he?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know, but we will find out since we need to see the Jarl anyway," Pyrrha said. She looked up at the building tops of Whiterun and spotted a tall one near the rear of the city. "Three guesses that the Jarl lives in the tallest building," she joked.

They approached the gates, but they were stopped from a couple guards who refused to let travelers pass. "We have come from Riverwood requesting aid!" Jaune explained. "A dragon was sighted there recently and we need to speak to Jarl Balgruuf."

"What?! A dragon?!" said one guard. "Alright, head up the street to the Cloud District where the Jarl's palace, Dragonsreach, resides. But mind your act, travelers, else you like to spend some time in the dungeon." They all agreed to be on their best behavior and entered.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Inside Dragonsreach, Jarl Balgruuf sat on his throne speaking with his advisers on the Civil War. "I am tired of waiting around," said Hrongar, the Jarl's son. "Let us take the fight to the Stormcloaks."

"We must align with the Empire," said Irileth, a Dark Elf. "The Empire can help restore this once-great city back to its former glory."

"Enough, enough," said the Jarl, seated on his throne. "I wish to remain neutral in this war. Taking sides will only separate the people."

Just then, the heavy front gates opened, and two guards followed by Team JNPR entered the hall. One guard ran ahead and kneeled before the Jarl. "My lord, we have travelers from Riverwood who carry important news from the people."

"Let them enter," said the Jarl.

Jaune and friends entered the hall and approached the Jarl. Everyone kneeled before him except Jaune, who kneeled in a haste after realizing his mistake. "What news do you four bring from Riverwood?" Jarl Balgruuf asked.

"A dragon attacked Helgen, destroying it completely!" said Jaune.

"A dragon?!" said Balgruuf, shifting in his seat.

"Yes, sir," said Pyrrha. "The dragon flew over Riverwood, and we have been sent from there to request that soldiers be send to help defend the town should the dragon return."

"I shall have a group of soldiers deployed to Riverwood right away. You four youths must have come far to deliver such important information."

"You can say that," joked Nora. Ren bumped her in the hip to quiet her down.

"I can tell that they are quite formidable in their own ways," commented Irileth.

"Pah!" said a voice from above. Everyone looked up to see someone up on the second floor. The young woman leapt over the railing and landed on the floor on both feet and a hand with cat-like grace. The young woman stood up, brushing her hands together as her cat ears twitched atop her black hair. She stared at them all with her yellow eyes. "These children do seem strong, but I can tell that the blonde one is a clumsy fool considering he did not know the proper etiquette to bow before the Jarl."

"Blake, calm down," said Farengar, the court wizard. "Besides, they don't look any older than you."

Blake Belladonna looked at Farengar with her piercing eyes, making him take a step back and shiver. "Jarl, I know I have not been in the court very long, but I can see that these youths had hardly accomplished a difficult in bringing us this information."

"Blake, why do you speak to us like that?" Jaune asked.

"What do you mean, boy?"

Jaune stood up and walked to her. "Blake, it's me, Jaune. And there's Pyrrha…"

"Hello again!" Pyrrha interjected.

"…and Nora, and Ren."

"Thank you for introducing yourselves, but keep your distance, boy," she added with a feline hiss, making Jaune back off. "I'm going back to my quarters for something to eat."

"I shall deliver some cooked fish for you, Lady Belladonna," said a servant. Blake disappeared up the staircase.

"Jarl, is it alright if I take these youths aside to speak with them?" asked Farengar, who was given permission. "This way, please." Farengar led the four into his workplace, complete with an enchanting table and tables full of maps, soul gems, and books of magical spells.

"What do you require of us?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha kept her full attention on them while skimming through a magic book, bewildered at the strange runes. Nora fiddled with the soul gems on the table, forcing Ren to take them from her, thus spoiling her fun.

"I'm glad you asked," Farengar began. "See, if the dragons are indeed returning to Tamriel, then we need to discover more information about them and there's a piece of that information nearby in Bleak Falls Barrow to the south of here, just near Riverwood."

"It doesn't sound too hard," said Nora, who was balancing a book on her head.

"Well, Bleak Falls Barrow is an ancient tomb home to Nords who have long since died. The problem is, the dead don't stay dead, especially when people come in to raid their tomb of anything valuable in there."

"Wait, there are dead people walking around in there?" Jaune, asked. Farengar nodded, which sent a shiver up Jaune's spine.

"I know it's a difficult task, but I will make sure you four are well-rewarded when you come back."

"What we want to know first of all is if you know anything about teleportation magic," Pyrrha asked, slamming the book shut.

"Teleportation? There's no such spell capable of that."

"Look, Farengar, we are not from Tamriel," Ren explained. "We came from another world called Remnant and we want to get back home. We think we came here via some magic spell or something and was wondering if you knew anything."

"Look, there is no such thing as teleportation magic, so I cannot help you there." That put team JNPR in a slump, but Farengar had a brilliant idea to help them out. "Listen, what I need in Bleak Falls Barrow is a Dragonstone stone tablet, and to give you guys a better chance of survival, not that you need it, I'll teach you youths some low-level magic."

"Can you teach me a healing spell and some fire magic?" Pyrrha asked.

"I could use some healing magic as well," Jaune muttered. He knew he could use that so Pyrrha did not have to patch him up so much.

"I could use some magic as well," Ren commented. He kept Nora from speaking up; the last thing she needed was to be able to shoot fire out of her hands.

"Not everyone has the capability of learning magic, but I'll see what I can do with you kids." Over the next hour, Jaune managed to tame a low-level healing spell as well as a low-level Shock spell that allowed him to emit lightning sparks out his hands. Pyrrha also mastered a flame spell and a firebolt spell as well as a healing spell just for Jaune. For Ren, he was a natural according to Farengar. Ren learned not only a flame, frost, and shock spell, but learned an illusion to make any enemies calm down during a fight, and a spell that can encase his body or anyone else's in magic energy to act as a shield.

"You kids are no ordinary people, are you?" Farengar joked after finishing with Ren.

"Not quite," Pyrrha said with a smile.

"Well, I wish the four of you luck with retrieving the Dragonstone, and hopefully those spells will come in use for you for a long time."

"Thank you, sir," said Nora. "Also, what can you tell me about Blake?"

"The Half-Khajiit? Well, she appeared around here just a day ago, but she earned herself a seat in the court after she demonstrated her fighting abilities when she took out a group of bandits that attacked one of the farms on the outskirts with just her bare hands. Jarl Balgruuf invited her here and she sorta stuck around. I suppose you know her?"

"She's a friend of ours," Jaune explained.

"Well, when we brought her here, she could not remember a thing except her name. She had no weapons on her, and the farmer that was attacked claimed she moved with quick speed, and that when she was hit, it was like a shadow that got hit instead."

"Poor Blake," Pyrrha muttered.

"There has to be a way to restore her memory somehow," said Jaune.

"Well, can you do it after getting the Dragonstone though?" Team JNPR agreed to that and left. They stopped by Belethor's General Goods Store where they purchased fur coats and some food with some of the money that Alvor and Sigrid gave them and headed for the gates. "These hoods are huge," Jaune commented, throwing his hood up which covered his entire face. This led to him not knowing what was in front of him however.

"Jaune, look out!" Pyrrha yelled, but it was too late. Jaune collided with a young woman in the street, sending the two of them to the ground. The woman was carrying a pack which spilled it contents of apples, potatoes, and coins across the ground. "I'm sorry about that," Pyrrha said hastily, helping the woman up, then Jaune after, who helped gather up the woman's pack.

"No, it's fine," said the woman. She looked at them with her dazzling blue eyes and long crimson hair that did not hide her long Elven ears. "I should've been watching where I was going since you four seem to be in a hurry." She got up and brushed the dirt off herself. She was wearing brown traveling clothes with a brown leather belt strap across her waist and across her chest. Leather pouches full of who-knows-what lined her waist, a longsword hung at her side, and she had a green cloak around her neck.

"Julianna, are you alright?" said a man's voice. A brute of a man with green eyes and black hair ran to her side; he was dressed the same as her, minus having a battle-ax and a dagger on him instead.

"I'm fine, Enthwos," said Julianna.

"You watch where you're going, bastard," Enthwos warned to Jaune. Jaune was about to throw an insult back, but both Pyrrha and Julianna got in between the boys.

"Sorry about him," Julianna said. "He can be a bit overprotective at times." Pyrrha nodded and the team continued on, leaving through Whiterun's gates.

"So, that is the one chosen by destiny," Julianna chuckled. "Hard to believe such a clumsy boy may save the world."

"Only time will tell," said Enthwos. "C'mon, the master wants us to finish our tasks before tomorrow." With that said, the two continued on their way.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Along the mountain trail to Bleak Falls Barrow, the team could already feel the cold weather settle around them as their boots crunched in the snow-covered ground. Jaune let loose a sneeze; Pyrrha used her new fire spell by hovering her fiery hand under his chin to help him warm up. "You probably should've learned a fire spell instead of a lightning spell, Jaune," she noted.

"I thought lightning was a little less dangerous for me."

"We need to stay alert on this trail," Ren warned. "Who knows what could be out here." They continued on, soon coming across a stone tower built along the cliffside. Jaune was about to run to it when Pyrrha pulled him down behind a rock with the others.

Before Jaune could complain to her, Pyrrha pointed to the tower where they could see at least three people wearing fur armor around a campfire, and one on the tower bridge entrance. Nearby the fire was the body of someone, and they were not moving. "I think it is safe to assume that they are not friendly," said Jaune.

"I'll get them to come over here, then we can surprise them," Ren told them. He motioned for Nora to head closer and hide behind another boulder, then Pyrrha behind another, and Jaune to stay put. Ren snuck forward, taking caution so that none of the bandits will spot him, though they were all preoccupied with the fire. Continuing forward, Ren rose a little, nocking an arrow in his bow. He aimed straight for the only archer of the group and let loose, making the arrow stick out in the archer's chest, killing him, but alerting the others.

The remaining bandits drew their weapons and ran at Ren, who turned tail and dashed back to where the gang was. When the last bandit passed by, Nora jumped up and slammed her warhammer into his chest, sending him down. One bandit looked back to see her fallen friend and ran to assist him, but Pyrrha shoved her spearsword through the bandit's back. Jaune dashed out with his sword drawn and clashed blades with one bandit while Ren dueled with the last. Ren's bandit went down easily, but Jaune had some trouble with his.

"That's a nice blade you have there, kid," the bandit mocked. "I'm gonna hang it on my wall under your head when I'm finished with you!" He pushed more weight onto Jaune, but the blonde teen was yet to be defeated. Jaune heaved back with all his might, sending the bandit off balance. Jaune took his chance and rammed his blade through the bandit's chest.

"Nice job, Jaune," Pyrrha complimented. Ren told them to check the bodies for anything valuable, then he and Nora went inside the tower to raid the place while Jaune and Pyrrha waited by the fire. When they finished, they found some potions, leather strips, and some gold septims.

"Ren, I know these guys had some money on them, but isn't it a bit…excessive that we looted them after killing them, even if they were going to kill us?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune, trust me, I know what I'm doing. If I were you, I'd make it a habit to loot anything you find, or it could cost you your life."

"Well," started Pyrrha. "We haven't eaten since morning, so how about we have some uncooked meat we bought from Belethor?" They all agreed to that and sat down, where Pyrrha cooked the meat in the cooking pot. It came out a little overcooked since she has had little experience with campfires, but no one complained.

After they finished eating, they continued on for the Barrow. A snowstorm soon picked up, causing their vision to decrease, but they soon found the Barrow; they all were stunned by its sheer size and age. They raced up the stone steps and heaved open one of the doors and rushed in.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

The team had just gotten inside and unzipped their fur coats when they heard unfriendly voices. "Who goes there?" called a man. They heard weapons be drawn and they did the same. A bandit in fur armor carrying a mace came to the entrance with another bandit with a broadsword behind him. "They're after the treasure! Kill them!" He rushed at them and swung his mace, but Jaune deflected it with his shield and stabbed the bandit. The last bandit swung his broadsword vertically, but Nora blocked it with her warhammer shaft. Grinning, Nora broke the clash and swung her hammer into the woman's chest, breaking several ribs and crushing her organs, killing her quickly.

After gathering a couple torches, they headed down the hall. They walked around the corner at the end and came to an open chamber, but they hugged the wall when they saw a bandit inside. He walked up to a lever in the ground and pulled it/ He then fell dead as dozens of small darts pierced his body. The team entered the chamber and found three rotatable pillars on the left.

"It's a puzzle." Jaune realized. "Judging from those animal pictures above the gate, we need to rotate the pillars to match the ones above."

"This fool must've been a dumb one to not realize this simple puzzle," Nora joked, tapping the dead man with her boot. They switched the pillars around and opened the gate, allowing them to continue on.

They found a spiraling staircase, but they also came across a few Skeevers, or giant rats. They took them out before they could bite them and continued on. "Talk about rodents of unusual size," Jaune commented on the way down. When they reached the end of the stairs, they noticed a large spider across the room, which ran at them. Pyrrha pushed Jaune aside and shot a firebolt at the insect thus igniting it, making it cringe in pain before dying after a few seconds.

"Sorry, I hate spiders," she admitted. They continued down the hall, where they found snips and pockets of sticky spider web on the walls and ceiling. The team shivered every time they saw the blood-dried husk of some Skeever or even a human. They passed by a fork, but it was one-sided since the right path was encased in sticky web, prohibiting any advancement.

Pyrrha took a glance at the right path, then she spotted something green in the web. "Guys, I think there's something in the web there." They stopped in their tracks to look, and they saw the green thing as well. They went over to the web wall and noticed a web sac with something in it with green hair strands sticking out. "It's a person!" They took care at cutting the web sac down, then cutting the person out.

Who they found was a dark-skinned teen with mint green hair and dark-red eyes. They recognized her right away as Emerald Sustrai, the exchange student from Haven back at Beacon. She was dressed in the same clothes she wears for combat, and even had her same weapons as well. She soon came to to find Team JNPR hovering over top of herself.

"Wh-what is going on?" she groggily asked. She got to her feet, shaking her head clear. "The last thing I remember was searching this old tomb for treasure when I was attacked by giant spiders, then nothing."

"They must've caught you and strung you up to eat later," Ren commented.

"Emerald, do you remember us" Jaune asked.

Emerald looked at all four of them for a moment, then it clicked in her mind. "Oh yeah, you're those teens from Beacon. How did you guys get here?"

"We would like to ask you the same thing."

"Well, I don't remember much other than going for a walk with Cinder and Mercury in Vale, then nothing. Then I awoke here searching for treasure for some reason, which would make sense since I used to be a thief."

"Well, how about you stay with us for a while?" Pyrrha suggested. "We are looking for an ancient stone tablet, and we could use all the help we can get."

Emerald knew she did not have much choice considering the four teens just saved her life from a terrible fate. "Alright, but swear that I get a portion of whatever valuables we find, deal?" They agreed on that and continued down the spider-infested halls. They soon began hearing a voice crying for help. They slashed open a doorway covered in web to enter a large chamber covered in spider web, and the one calling for help was trapped in a doorway of web on the other side.

"There you are, I was afraid there was no one around," said the Dark Elf. Jaune and company were about to run to his aid when a colossal Frosbite Spider descended down from the ceiling, which made Pyrrha shriek in horror. "Team, flank the beast and kill it!" Jaune ordered.

Ren drew his daggers and made a dash towards the spider's backside, but the insect lashed its leg out, pushing Ren to the ground instead. Jaune leapt at the spider and swung his blade, slicing his foe across the face, then he dug his sword into one of its many eyes, blinding it there. The spider reeled back in pain, then bore down on Jaune, knocking his sword and shield from his hands and attempted to snag him in its pinchers, but he managed to hold its pinchers back with his raw strength. Pyrrha leapt between the two, slashing across the spider's face, cutting off one pincher in the process and helping Jaune to his feet. Emerald drew her weapons and fired a few shots at the spider, then she unfolded her blades and assumed her Praying Mantis fighting stance, weaving in and out of the spider's legs, slicing off two of them before retreating to safety

Nora ran at the spider, dodging leg stabs, allowing her to slam her warhammer into more legs, breaking them instantly and allowing her to leap onto the creature's head, driving her hammer into its skull, though it still breathed life. Ren ran around the creature in circles, cutting off its remaining legs, leaving it a defenseless body on the ground. Pyrrha walked over and plunged her spearsword through its face, killing it. They all took a moment to catch their breath then walked over to the imprisoned Dark Elf.

"I'm impressed you kids managed to kill that creature," he said. "I'm Arvil, and I came here looking for the ancient treasure in this tomb." Pyrrha noticed that he was wearing fur armor like the bandits they encountered.

"Are you allied with the bandits in this place?" she asked.

"What? Yes, they are my comrades, what of it? Look, cut me down, and I promise I will lead you five to the treasure; I know where it is and what to do to access it. It just requires the golden claw that I have." With no choice since they have to continue through the doorway, Jaune cut away the web covering the door and Arvil. The Dark Elf fell to the floor and scrambled to his feet only to run off down the hall ahead. "Like Hell I will share the treasure with fools like you!"

Pyrrha was the quickest to react. She sped off after the Dark Elf to see him halfway through a small burial chamber. She drew her spearsword and held it like a javelin, aiming with her hand extended, and she threw it directly into Arvil's back, sending him dead to the floor. She retrieved her weapon just as everyone arrived.

"Nice job, Pyrrha," Emerald complimented, making Pyrrha smile. Ren searched Arvil's body and found nothing useful aside from the golden claw he mentioned and his journal; Ren read through it after giving Jaune the claw, which was quite big. Emerald glared at the claw with lust in her eyes. "You guys check this area for any valuables while I read this."

"Ren, isn't it wrong to rob the dead like this?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe, but if there's any gold or jewels, they won't need it." Logic aside, they searched the burial pots and shelves for anything. Jaune found a sapphire and a ruby, which got him thinking about the real Ruby, wondering what she is thinking knowing that her friends have disappeared from Vale. Pyrrha found some septims, Nora found a couple septims and a tattered book, and Emerald found, well, an emerald, which got her grinning from ear to ear.

They continued on when they came into a long open chamber hallway lined with shelves containing the corpses of Nords from long ago. It was all breathtaking, that is until several of the dead suddenly rose from their resting places, drew old, rusted weapons and growled at the team with glowing red eyes. Everyone drew their weapons and formed a circle, preventing any Draugr from getting the jump on them. Nora grinned with anticipation at the thought of killing the dead, though Jaune was terrified Pyrrha, Ren, and Emerald were unfazed, though they were hoping the dead can die again.

One Draugr with a hand axe growled and came at Pyrrha, but she swatted its axe away and stabbed her spearsword into its chest, which made it fall to the ground as its eyes extinguished. "They can die!" she confirmed. "Kill them like any other being!" Ren dashed forward and cut down a Draugr, Nora smashed one's skull in, and Emerald dug her blade into another's neck. Jaune, still feeling nervous even after killing real people, lead with his shield against a Draugr with a broadsword. The undead being brought its sword down, pushing Jaune down to the ground. The reanimated corpse was ready to finish him off when Pyrrha launched her spearsword into its chest, killing it once more.

"_Pyrrha saved my life again_," Jaune thought as he got up. "_As much as I have proven myself in this world so far, I cannot have her keep saving me_." They continued on, avoiding the traps from ages ago and fighting the Draugr that intended to preserve their secret. They eventually came into a long, empty hallway illuminated by torches. On the other side, they came across a dead end, but they found a strange keyhole with three spiral switches depicting different animals.

The team used this time to take a short break, eating some dried meat from their rations and drinking from their canteens. They offered Emerald some food who happily accepted it. "According to that guy's journal," Ren muttered. "We need to use the golden claw, which acts as the key to this door."

"Well, that's not too hard, good thing he had it on himself," Jaune commented, springing to his feet. He fished the claw from his pack and inserted it into the keyhole, but nothing happened. "It didn't work."

"The journal also says that these spiral switches correspond to the claw itself." Jaune took a look at the claw at noticed the animal markings on the inside of the claw. He rotated the spiral switches to match the claws and inserted the claw once more, which allowed the door to open, revealing a large cavern with a running river and a large altar with a wall across the cavern.

They entered the open cavern and walked across the river and to the stone wall, which was inscribed with strange runes that neither of them could read. "Such strange lettering," Pyrrha remarked. "It would be interesting to know what this wall says." Jaune stared at the wall for what felt like forever; he stared at three runes which were glowing with a blueish light. He approached the words closer, and the light around them disappeared, swirling around his body and disappeared, making Jaune fall to the floor gasping for air. "Jaune, you alright?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think so," he answered, getting back up. "Did you guys see those glowing words?"

"Jaune, none of these runes were glowing," Emerald commented. Jaune was wondering why his friends did not see what he saw, but his thought process was interrupted by the sound of something opening. Everyone spun around with weapons drawn to see a nearby coffin lid come off, and a Draugr with a broadsword wearing rusty armor, boots, gauntlets, and a horned helm comes out, glaring at the team with its red eyes.

"He's mine to break!" Nora yelled and rushed at the Draugr Deathlord. The Draugr turned towards her and opened its dead mouth. "FUS RO DAH!" it yelled, and a shockwave of energy shot out, hitting Nora and sending her banging against a far wall. The shockwave hit the others in the edge, making them stumble, but they were still in the fight. Ren grew angry at charged at the Draugr, slicing at its body, but it did not fall. The Draugr merely growled and snatched at Ren's arm, twisting it and forcing him to drop his weapons in pain. The undead warrior grabbed Ren with both hands and threw him off the altar and into the river.

Jaune, Pyrrha, and Emerald rushed at the Draugr. Jaune sliced at its chest area, Pyrrha stabbed it through the gut, and Emerald fired a few shots at its body, but it stood strong. "RO DAH!" shouted the Draugr, sending Emerald against the word wall unconscious. Jaune attacked further with greater fury, but the Draugr simply grabbed him and threw him aside, then grabbed Pyrrha, separating her from her weapons. The Draugr growled in her face, then threw her face-first into the ground where she laid still.

"PYRRHA!" Jaune cried. The Draugr turned to him and let out a growl in its ancient tongue, making Jaune feel terrified. "_Can I still defeat it on my own_?" he asked himself, clutching his ebony blade in his shaking hand. He raised his shield, hoping that will be able to protect him. The Draugr went to him and brought its broadsword down onto the steel shield repeatedly, sending Jaune to the ground on his held his ground, but he still did not have the courage to fight back. The Draugr tugged at his shield, tearing from it his grasp and kicked the boy to the ground, raising its sword for the final blow.

In his last moment, Jaune glanced at the downed Pyrrha, seeing a trickle of blood run down her head and onto the floor. He thought of her fate and the rest of his team as well. He threw his sword up, blocking the Draugr's strike in a clash. The Draugr was surprised at the young man's sudden courage, but pressed the pressure on to win the clash. Jaune gripped his blade with both hands and threw his foe back and jumped back a bit and unleashed a storm of lightning from his hand. The Draugr felt its magic energy vanish as sparks traced all over its body, but it was not done yet. It let out another shout, which sent Jaune to his knees, but he was not defeated yet. Jaune swung his blade from the side, clipping the Draugr and followed up with an overhead strike, clashing blades with his undead foe again. He put the pressure on, then surprised his enemy when he ended the clash and did an uppercut strike, hitting the Draugr in a weak point, sending it to its knees. Gritting his teeth, Jaune grabbed the Draugr by the shoulder and drove his sword through its chest, pulled it out, and slashed across its neck, sending it to the floor dead once more.

He had no time to relish in his victory; he dashed to Pyrrha's side and turned her over, confirming that her Aura protected her from most of the damage she suffered. He readied a healing spell and fixed the cut in her head, making her wake up. "Jaune?" she muttered, only for him to hug her.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he whispered. As much as she wanted to stay in his arms, they had to heal up the others and wake them up. After everyone got healed up, they congratulated Jaune on his personal victory and set to finding the Dragonstone, which was located in the coffin of the Draugr Deathlord. Nora also found a couple amethysts in a burial pot as well, which she added to the pouch on Jaune's waist. They found a secret entrance in a wall up a stairway, and left Bleak Falls Barrow completely, hoping they never have to return there again.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Coming out of the secret exit of the Barrow, Team JNPR were briefly blinded by the sun, but they soon recovered. From the cliffside, they could see Riverwood not even a mile away. When they reached there, they stopped by the Riverwood Trader to buy some food as well as return the golden claw. "That claw was stolen from me a couple days ago," explained Lucan, the owner. Jaune was happy to return it back, especially since Lucan gave the team a reward of 200 septims and a magic ring of strength that increases the strength of one's sword, which everyone agreed Jaune should take.

The team then went to Alvor's house to have him sharped up their weapons and repair their armor, which he did for free as a personal thank you for the soldiers who now patrol the town. While he took care of their gear, they decided to get a good meal at the Sleeping Giant's Inn before they return to Whiterun. There, they enjoyed a hearty meal of meat, bread, soup, and potatoes while they relaxed around the hearth and listening to the traveling bard named Malukah play her lute, singing a song called "The Dragonborn Comes." Her voice captivated everyone, especially Jaune, who was entranced with the fair lady. When her song ended, no one clapped louder than Jaune. Malukah giggled at his appreciation and bowed before everyone.

"I have never felt more relaxed before," Ren commented to the others.

"Well, Don't worry, Ren, we won't be leaving until our gear is finished," said Jaune. "That will give us at least an hour or so thanks to Alvor's speedy hands." Emerald sat nearby on her own with a mug of ale in her hand. She occasionally glanced at Jaune, who, at the moment, was telling his brave adventure in Bleak Falls Barrow to a couple young children.

"Jaune, can I speak to you privately outside for a minute?" she asked him. He agreed and went outside with her behind him with a cloak under her arm. Outside, Jaune turned to Emerald to speak, but she instead pushed him against the wall of the Inn, peering into his blue eyes. "Don't say anything, Jaune," she whispered as she drew close to him.

"Um, okay?" he said weakly. He held his breath and dared not move while Emerald brushed herself against his face, then she planted her lips against his in a kiss before drawing away to see his blushing face. She giggled as she juggled a handful of jewels in her hand; Jaune's own jewels, in fact. "Hey, those are mine, Emmy!"

"Well, they're mine now," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Don't worry, I left you a small number in your pouch, but next time, don't let your eyes distract you from your purse, especially when an expert thief is near. Besides, you guys promised me some cash if I help you retrieve that stone tablet, so consider my debt to you paid in full." Emerald pocketed her jewels and threw her cloak around herself.

"Will we ever see you again?" Jaune asked, knowing that she was leaving.

Emerald thought about that for a moment, then smiled. "Of course we will, whenever that may be. You're a good guy, Jaune, and you have friends who care deeply for you. As for me, I have to find Cinder and Mercury, wherever they be." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed west out of Riverwood. Jaune watched her disappear into the distance then went back inside to resume his good time with his friends.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Team JNPR returned to Whiterun better than ever with the Dragonstone in tow. At Dragonsreach, they proudly handed the tablet over to Farengar, who was glad to see the stone tablet, eager to learn its secrets. As a reward, Jarl Balgruuf decided to give them a small house in the lower district to live in, which was already furnished. Team JNPR was happy at this prospect and left to see their new home, the Breezehome, right away.

Walking into the house, the team was greeted with a couple bookshelves lined at the doors, a wide table with four wooden chairs at it, a clean rug underneath it, and a fireplace with a cooking pot and metal rack nearby. A kitchen was in the next room complete with a storage container which was lined with ice, made for storing frozen foods and behind a counter made with the purpose of preparing food, there were sacks lined with fruit and vegetables respectively. There was another bookcase lined with plates, bowls, silverware. In another room, there was a study with a bookcase that contained about a dozen books (which the team filled up more with the books they already had on them), a few comfy chairs, and an enchanting table and alchemy lab with dressers to hold ingredients for them. Upstairs, the hallway contained a couple weapon plaques and a small dresser. The bedroom contained four twin beds with mattresses and blankets with a nightstand beside each one and two dressers lining two of the walls.

"This looks incredible," Jaune noted. "It's good we have a place to stay while we are here so we don't have to stay at an inn so much."

"Plus with the kitchen, I can make us meals," Ren commented. Pyrrha chimed in, saying she would be happy to help. They investigated the rest of the house, finding another room adjacent to the main room downstairs which was home to several mannequins and chests for holding weapons and armor, as well as a bathroom containing at toilet straight out of one of Jaune's Fantasy RPG games and a hot spring bath, which got Pyrrha and Nora anxious to try out.

Jaune decided that they should spend the rest of the day getting acquainted with their new home, as well as buy new supplies and gear to store there for any future adventures. They stored their fur coats and boots in their dressers, and went out to the market place, where Pyrrha and Nora bought ingredients for cooking ranging from sugar, flour, grain, wheat, water, and so on. Jaune bought more food like cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes (his favorite), and assorted fruit. Ren spent his time getting to know some of Whiterun's residents, as well as discovering the feud between the Battle-borns and the Grey-Manes, who have been at each other's throats since the Civil War broke out. He also came across a traveling mage salesman, whom he bought some fingerless gloves, leather boots, and some green and brown-colored mage robes from.

With the day over, they retreated to bed, hoping the next day will be easier. Unfortunately, it will instead be the day that Jaune Arc discovers his true powers.

**CHAPTER END.**


	3. Rise of a Dragonborn

**Chapter 3: Rise of a Dragonborn**

The next day, the team woke up, bathed, and dressed in clean clothes and dressed in their armor. They complimented Ren's new mage clothes, which he admitted feels much better than the leather armor that he found to be stiff in. They gathered at the table on the first floor to discuss the next course of action over a map of Skyrim.

"Alright," Jaune began. "Our hopes in finding a wizard to get us home has failed, but that doesn't mean that plan is over, for there could be stronger wizards in Skyrim that can help us."

"I asked around yesterday and found out about Winterhold, which lies to the far northeast of here," interjected Ren, who pointed to the city on the map. "The city has been in great decline, so say the townsfolk, but there is the College of Winterhold, home to some of the finest mages of Skyrim. If we can reach the College, we might find more answers."

"Winterhold would take a couple weeks to reach from here," Pyrrha commented. "Especially if we travel on foot, and after exhausting over half our money to supply our house, we are far from having enough to buy even just two horses to make the trip easier."

"Wrong, Pyrrha," Ren continued. "There's the Whiterun Stables, where a fellow will offer to take anyone to any of the main cities for a few hundred septims."

"I agree with Ren there," said Nora, sipping from a cup of milk. "Besides, we don't know this land enough to journey across it; there could be big, bad monsters out there like back home!"

"Farengar also mentioned that there is no such teleportation magic," moaned Jaune. "Even if we reach the College, there is a good chance that even they don't know any spells that can send us back home. And…I'm worried about Blake and her memory."

Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder. "We can go see her up at Dragonsreach soon. They gathered their weapons and headed out the door, hoping that they will have some better luck speaking to Blake again. No sooner had they just left did a battered and bloody Whiterun soldier rush through the gates, stumbling to the ground. Jaune helped him to his feet.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked the guard.

"No time! I must go see the Jarl!" He broke from Jaune's grasp and ran up the hill to Dragonsreach. Team JNPR followed after him. Inside Dragonsreach, the soldier bowed before the Jarl.

"What has happened you, soldier?" Balgruuf demanded.

"A dragon attacked the Western Watchtower!" he answered, sending everyone into murmurs. "It came out of nowhere and just destroyed everything! Only a few of us survived; I was the only one to come!"

"Irileth, gather together a group of soldiers and head for the watchtower." Irileth nodded and left for the guards barracks. Out of nowhere, Blake appeared in the hall. She was clad in a white popped collar shirt, a chain shirt, a black jacket with studded leather shoulder and arm pads, and long black pants and black boots and a steel sword and steel short sword at her hips.

"I am going with her," said Blake. "She will need all the help she can get."

"I won't object, but I must ask that you be careful out there." Balgruuf then turned to Team JNPR. "I know that I have asked much of you four already, but I implore you to go with Irileth to aid her at the watchtower."

"You have to be joking!" exclaimed Jaune.

"I am not, lad. You four have survived Helgen, so you all have had experience with a dragon before. Do not worry, young warriors, the Gods will watch over you."

The team was nervous about this whole thing, but they knew they should help out. Blake passed by them, beckoning them to follow her out of Dragonsreach. "You should be thankful the Jarl has been kind to the four of you," she said as they walked down the streets of Whiterun. "And I must say that you four must be strong to be able to traverse Bleak Falls Barrow for the Dragonstone; not many wish to enter an ancient tomb for whatever reason, no matter how tempting their greed is either."

"Blake, what things do you remember?" Jaune asked.

"Hm? I remember nothing other than my name, and that I seem to be some kind of human, Khajjit halfbreed. Why do you ask, boy?" She glared at him with those piercing eyes of hers.

"Don't you think you've seen the four of us somewhere before?" Blake scratched the underside of her chin, which made her start purring.

"I don't know for sure," she admitted. "I think I may have met you guys before, but again, I don't know."

"Blake, what about Ruby, Weiss, and Yang?" Pyrrha asked. "Where are they?"

Blake stopped in her tracks, thinking hard about those three names. "Sorry, nothing comes up," she concluded. They were so stuck up in their conversation that they did not realize that they reached the guard barracks.

"Blake, it's time," said Irileth, snapping the Half-Khajiit from her daze. "Men, we march towards the Western Watchtower to find out what has happened to the survivors."

"Housecarl," called one soldier. "I heard that a dragon attacked the tower, is it true?"

"It may be, but whatever may have happened, we cannot cower and run from this threat. We will take on this dragon and kill it, eliminating the threat it possesses to our city." That got the soldiers worried, but they were not easy to sway from their duty as protectors of the city. Before they had a chance to leave, Aela from the Companions came to them, wishing to accompany them for assistance, as well as the glory of slaying a dragon. Everyone exited the city and headed west, with the destroyed watchtower in the short distance.

When they came within distance of the watchtower, they could see that it has been reduced to ruins, despite that two levels of it still stands. When they came within its areas, one Whiterun soldier ran out to greet them. "You need to be careful, two soldiers already got taken by the dragon when they tried to run for it!" he warned.

"We are here to assist you," Irileth declared. Everyone spread out across the ruins to find any survivors, but all they could find was broken stone and charred ruins of Gods-knows-what. They did not have much time to continue searching when they heard a mighty roar echo across the sky from the southern mountains. Everyone looked south to see a giant winged creature emerge from the mountain peak and fly towards them. "DRAGON!" Aela shouted, prompting everyone to draw their weapons, nock arrows, and ready spells.

"Make every arrow count and take down that winged beast!" Irileth ordered. Jaune has never felt such fear in his life; he is literally seeing the stories of fantasy that he has read since he was young come alive, and now it intends to kill him. His sword arm shook but then Pyrrha put a hand on his right shoulder.

"Don't worry, Jaune," she assured with a smile. "I will stay by your side to protect you." Jaune felt some of his courage return and his arm grew steady and determined. The dragon swooped over the crowd and flew back around. The soldiers, Irileth, Aela, and Pyrrha fired arrows as its passed whereas Ren fired a fireball at it, but their attacks did little damage to the beast.

"We need to force it to land!" Pyrrha yelled to everyone. While it seemed like a bad idea, the soldiers knew that bringing it down to their level will allow them to strike it with steel rather than arrows. "Ren, head up to the tower's roof for a better advantage point." Ren nodded and headed up. Now closer to the sky, he was able to hit the dragon more accurately with his spells.

However, this caught the dragon's attention so it paused its glide over the battlefield at the watchtower's roof, where it quickly snatched Ren in its jaw, but he activated his Semblance just in time, forcing back the dragon's jaws with him in its mouth. The dragon tried forcing its mouth closed, which it succeeded, but poor Ren fell from its jaw and tumbled down the spiraling stairway, where he crashed into a broken table and fell unconscious.

The dragon resumed its flight over the battlefield. As it passed over, it unleashed a devastating fire breath attack that consumed two soldiers and Jaune almost, if it not for Aela who tackled him to the ground out of range. "I can't keep rescuing you, Arc," she told him before getting back up.

Jaune felt humiliated. _"How can I hope to defeat a dragon if I need to be rescued every time?"_ he asked himself. Jaune sighed and retrieved his sword. He saw Pyrrha and Aela side by side firing arrows onto the dragon. _"I need to prove that I am a capable warrior like I did in the Barrow."_ Jaune sheathed his sword and shield and climbed upon a broken piece of stone and charged up a ball of lightning in his hand. As the dragon passed over, he unleashed a powerful lightning bolt onto its underbelly, making it roar out in pain. The dragon let out another roar that sounded like it was speaking something, but no one except Jaune heard it in the common tongue.

_"Foolish mortals!"_ the dragon roared. _"I, Mirmulnir, shall devour you all!"_ Jaune put his hand to his head and grunted as a stabbing pain filled his head.

"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha called from afar.

"I-I'm fine, Pyrrha," he answered. For Jaune, the voice of the dragon now known as Mirmulnir felt strange, almost welcoming to him. He shook his head and resumed battle. The dragon turned around landed with a defining _BOOM_ as the soldiers rushed at the beast with their weapons raised. One soldier was snatched in the beast's mighty jaws and then thrown aside like a rag doll. Though Jaune was afraid after seeing that soldier get chomped on and murdered, he knew he had to face the giant reptile head on. Gripping his ebony sword and steel shield tight, he ran past Pyrrha, Nora, Aela, and Blake and came to a halt before the dragon, now all alone since the soldiers retreated.

_"Ah, another mortal who thinks he can defeat me,"_ Mirmulnir spoke in the Dovah tongue. _"I hope you can entertain me unlike these soldiers, boy."_

"I swear I will defeat you, dragon," Jaune swore. "I will make sure you never kill another person."

Mirmulnir let out a defying laugh. _"Such courage from a little cub,"_ he said in his tongue. _"Do not disappoint me now."_

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried, rushing for him until Aela halted her in place. "Let me go, Aela, or he will die!"

"This is his battle, Pyrrha Nikos," Aela said. "Unless he asks for our aid, all you will do is squash his pride."

"Pride will mean nothing if he's dead!"

The dragon Mirmulnir reeled his head back, charging a fiery breath attack and unleashed it onto Jaune. Sensing it too late, Jaune could do nothing but crouch down and hide behind his shield, thus allowing him to be engulfed in flames. Tears fell from Pyrrha's eyes at the mere thought of seeing Jaune as a crispy corpse, but when the flames were extinguished, Jaune was alive, save for some charred clothes and sooty hair.

Jaune rushed at Mirmulnir, who lunged his jaws at the boy, but the blond dodged to the side and sliced at his neck, making a large cut in the beast. "You will know true fear soon enough, Mirmulnir!" Jaune shouted as he dodged a claw swipe from the dragon and dug his sword into its neck, though it was not a fatal strike. Mirmulnir roared and struck Jaune square in his chest, knocking him down and separating his sword and shield from him. Jaune rolled around in the grass avoiding Mirmulnir's stomp attacks while frantically searching for his sword.

Pyrrha, Nora, and Blake broke from the crowd to aid Jaune. Nora slammed her warhammer into the dragon's side, prompting a roar of pain while Pyrrha and Blake jumped on top of the creature and stabbed their blades into the beast's back, allowing Jaune time to retrieve his weapons and escape the underside of the dragon. Ren appeared from the watchtower and threw a firebolt at Mirmulnir.

_"I am tired of you children!"_ Mirmulnir roared. _"I will kill you all and rend the flesh from your bones!"_ Mirmulnir shook back and forth, knocking Pyrrha and Blake onto the ground, where they rolled along the grass and stayed still. Two soldiers rushed to their aid and pulled them from the battlefield.

Aela, Irileth, and the remaining soldiers sniped the dragon from afar with arrows, but it seems that Mirmulnir has become far too interested in Jaune Arc instead. Mirmulnir snapped at Jaune every chance he could, but Jaune easily dodged each attack. With no choice left, Jaune dashed inside the watchtower and ran up the broken staircase to the rooftop, where Mirmulnir was waiting for him.

_"You have alluded me long enough, boy! Now it is time that I devour you!"_

"Like Hell you will!" Jaune shouted. Mirmulnir landed on the rooftop, and the battle commenced. Mirmulnir lashed forward with his fangs, but Jaune swung in an uppercut, striking Mirmulnir in the face and knocking him aside. The dragon swiped at the blond warrior with its claws, but Jaune's shield kept him protected, though the force knocked him down to the stone floor. Mirmulnir snatched up Jaune's shield in his jaws and shattered it into splinters, then let out a menacing roar at the boy. Mirmulnir pushed off the roof to hover a few feet away, reading a fiery breath attack that will surely consume Jaune in flames this time.

Jaune felt his courage rise up inside of himself. Sheathing his ebony blade, Jaune rushed at the dragon, leaping off the roof while letting out a battlecry. Jaune's hands found their way around the dragon's clawed foot, where he then began the grueling climb up to Mirmulnir's head while the dragon tried shaking him off. Jaune climbed upon the dragon's back and made a mad dash up to its head, where he leapt and dug his blade straight into Mirmulnir's head. The dragon let out an ear-piercing roar as its flight faltered, but it was not dead yet.

_"How can a mere mortal defeat me?!"_ Mirmulnir shouted. Jaune raised his blade high and plunged it into the dragon again, finally making its wings stop as they both fell to the earth below. Jaune detached from the dragon's body and fell for the ground, but Pyrrha dashed to the spot, catching him just in time. _"Dovahkiin! NO!"_ Finally, Mirmulnir moved no more and died on the spot.

"Jaune, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked, feeling his forehead.

"I'm feeling okay," he grunted in pain. Pyrrha smiled and hugged him tight.

"That was impressive," Blake noted as she stared at Mirmulnir's corpse. "Soldiers, tear off some these dragon scales; we can smelt them to create some tough armor." The soldiers obeyed and retrieved a large amount of dragon scales. Nearby, Nora and Ren took their time to catch their breath, though Ren felt a tad sore from falling down the staircase earlier.

"That. Was. Fun!" Nora shouted, hugging Ren close. He merely smiled at his hyperactive friend.

"I guess I owe you an apology," Aela said, strolling over to Jaune. "It seems you are no ordinary cub if you can kill a dragon on your own." She smiled at the blond lad, who smiled back and nodded in approval. With help from Pyrrha, Jaune rose to his feet battered and bloodied, but most importantly alive.

"Mara's mercy, what is happening?" cried a soldier. Jaune and company looked at the dragon's dead body as they watched its skin evaporate in a glowing flame, leaving behind patches of scales and its bones, still shaped in its draconic form. The flames then turned into glowing wisps of wind, which mesmerized Jaune, beckoning him almost. The wind surrounded him, blinding him temporary as he fell to the ground gasping for air. The winds enveloped Jaune's entire body, then vanished into the air as a single word that Jaune did not recognize flashed in his mind: _"FUS."_

The rest of his team rushed to his aid, but Jaune stood up on his own. "By the Nine, you're…Dragonborn!" said a soldier.

"Dragonborn?" Jaune muttered. "What is a Dragonborn?"

"Ah yes, you're an outsider, after all," said another soldier. "The Dragonborn was a mortal that was born with the soul of a dragon. This dragon soul of his granted him great power, allowing him to master the dragon's Thu'um, or dragon shouts with mere ease. It would take a special man many years just to learn even one word of a shout, but the Dragonborn can master them instantly just by absorbing a dragon's soul, like you did."

"Aye, I remember the stories of the Dragonborn," said another. "My father would tell me the grand stories of how the Dragonborn defeated his foes with his shouts."

"Irileth, you are quiet. What say you?" Irileth huffed at the men.

"I suggest you soldiers believe in the strength of your sword rather than bedtime stories," she answered. "I see a dead dragon, and that's all that matters. So long as I have men who can fight, then I don't need some mythical Dragonborn.

"Whether Jaune is this Dragonborn or not," said Pyrrha. "He still killed the dragon, which demands a lot of strength, especially for him."

"The lad is strong, I'll give him that," said Aela. "But I saw how he fought against that beast and I can tell he needs a lot of training. Training that I am willing to give him." She winked at Jaune while saying that last sentence.

Blake knelt down in front of Jaune and looked at his wounds. "You'll need some medical treatment when we return to Whiterun," she told him. "When Jarl Balgruff learns it was you who defeated the dragon, he'll reward you greatly."

Jaune said nothing this entire time and only looked at his own hands. He was confused about all this. _"How can I be some mystical being called a Dragonborn?"_ he asked himself. Jaune thought back to that word he saw in his mind, thinking about shouting the word like the soldier said of the stories. "FUS!" he shouted, forcing a shockwave of energy from his lips that sent his teammates to the ground. He slapped his hands to his mouth when he saw what happened, surprising everyone.

"He is the Dragonborn!" yelled a soldier.

Pyrrha and Ren helped Jaune to his feet. After gathering their dead, the group made the trek back to Whiterun, just as the sun was starting to set. As they neared the gates of Whiterun, Jaune looked at the high mountain to the east, and that is when the clouds broke and the ground shook, and a bellowing voice boomed across the sky, hitting Jaune's ears the hardest: _"DOVAHKIIN!"_ Jaune fell to the ground and knew nothing more.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

When Jaune fell unconscious, the group carried his body back to Dragonsreach, where he was put to bedrest and watched over by a healer. The healer concluded that aside from the wounds he sustained in battle, he will make a swift recovery, though the heavy load of events of the day has worn him out, so he just needs sleep. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren stayed by his bedside all day and into the early hours of night.

"What should we do now?" Pyrrha asked as she petted Jaune's hair. "We may have to wait a couple days for Jaune to fully recover, and what then?"

"There's still Winterhold," Ren mentioned. "But with Jaune in this state, even if he were to recover, who knows how well he can perform."

"I spoke with the Jarl a while ago," interjected Nora. "He said that the voice we heard from the mountains were the Greybeards or something, and that they were calling for Jaune to come to their sanctuary up there to train to become stronger. That's basically what he said. He also gave us a bag of cash worth at least 300 septims all together as a reward for our help and for slaying that dragon."

"Now what? Winterhold or these Greybeards?" Pyrrha questioned.

Ren hummed to himself for a minute. "How about we split up and do both? Nora and I can head northeast to Winterhold to find some answers while you stay here with Jaune and you both go to the mountain."

Pyrrha got up from her seat. "Are you sure, Ren? We don't know how dangerous it is up north. Besides, that strange power Jaune demonstrated at the watchtower doesn't mean anything. How can he even be this Dragonborn person when he's not even a native to Skyrim?"

"I do not know, but think about it. We magically appear in this land, and dragons appear, which, according to the books, have not been around for eras, and now people are calling Jaune a Dragonborn, a person who is linked to the dragons. We are connected here in some way, and maybe those Greybeards can shed some light on it all.

"Also, do you remember those guys who attacked us on the streets of Vale? One of them said that they are under the orders of Alduin, whom I discovered was a vastly powerful and ancient dragon that nearly destroyed the world of Tamriel long ago."

"Pyrrha, if Jaune can grow stronger from these people, then we might as well give it a shot," Nora added.

Pyrrha sighed, knowing that her friends were right. "Alright, I'll stay here. Just promise that you'll be careful out there." She divided up the reward money evenly for them so that the pairs had enough money for food, lodgings, and whatever else. Ren and Nora nodded and gave their friend a hug before leaving for their house to rest before setting out the next day. Pyrrha stayed by Jaune's bedside and kept watch over him, despite that sleep was soon overtaking her. She eventually fell asleep in her chair.

In the dead of the night, four figures wearing dark green cloaks and wearing matching ranger clothes, boots, and gloves, but in various colors, entered Dragonsreach and headed up the staircase to Jaune's room. The leader tried the door, but found it locked. One of the four, a woman with long crimson hair spilling from under her hood and a longsword at her hip slipped a lockpick in and picked the lock, allowing them entry. Entering the room, three of of them stood at the end of Jaune's bed while the big brute of the group gently shook Pyrrha awake, who jumped to her feet and drew her spearsword.

"Hush, child," said the leader, waving his hand at her, which was enveloped in red energy. Pyrrha instantly felt at ease, sliding her weapon back into its sheath against her own will. "We are not here to harm you."

"What do you want then?" Pyrrha asked with a death stare. She was not going to be polite to someone who just used magic to force her hand. "I'm kinda tired right now, and my friend needs a lot of rest."

One of the four, who's feminine figure shone through her dark brown and green ranger clothes, strolled over to Jaune's side and rested her hand upon his cheek. Under the hood, Pyrrha could see short blond hair and clear white skin. "Ah, so this is the one Alduin's Wall predicted would come," she whispered in a hushed voice. "It is wonderful to see you, Jaune Arc."

"Maura…" said the redhead, but the leader held his hand up to hush her. "But Driswen…

"Let her be," he said.

"What do you want?" Pyrrha repeated, trying to ignore the blonde woman who kept brushing Jaune's cheek.

"We are here to tell you something very important, Pyrrha Nikos," said Driswen, who lowered his hood, revealing his Elvish heritage. "You have learned today that your friend, Jaune Arc, is a Dragonborn."

"I know that, but what I want to know right now is how you four know."

The crimson-haired woman lowered her hood, revealing herself as Julianna, the woman Jaune bumped into the other day. "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Pyrrha," she said with a fair smile. "As for how we know, we have a lot of inside people who watch things for us and relay information to us."

"You can trust us, however," said the brute, revealing himself as Enthwos. "We are on your side in all this so long as you are as well."

"Maura, please," said Driswen. Maura left Jaune's side and went back to the group. "Anyway, while Jaune Arc may be the Dragonborn, his skills in combat are…unpolished, to say the least. Defeating the World-Eater Alduin is no simple task, and he will have to grow in both and spirit, training his sword arm and his mastery of the Thu'um. You must take him to the Greybeards on High Hrothgar. There, he can learn more of his power and his destiny. He must also train in sword combat as well."

"I have been doing that for the past year at Beacon," Pyrrha explained.

"And while you may have been doing a tremendous job, he needs to learn more. There are more than just giant spiders, the undead, and dragons in this world, and not knowing how to fight each creature will be the difference between life and death."

Pyrrha lowered her head, thinking of what sort of monsters he could be talking about. "How do I know I can really trust you people?" she asked, not taking Enthwos' words seriously.

"My master gave you four your weapons, for one thing," Driswen answered. Pyrrha stared at her spearsword. "He passed by Blacksmith Alvor's house during your first night and gave those weapons to him." Pyrrha stayed silent, knowing that she probably has no choice but to trust these people. One by one, the four rangers exited the room; The blonde one named Maura, still with her hood up, gave the sleeping Jaune a small smile before leaving, leaving Driswen the last one.

"When you return from High Hrothgar with Jaune Arc, we will have a gift to aid the two of you waiting," Driswen said before leaving without another word. Pyrrha sat down on the bed, noting that Jaune slept through the entire conversation, and let out a sigh.

Upon leaving Dragonsreach, the four rangers stopped by Jorrvaskr, where they went up to the deserted Skyforge smithing area, picked the chest there, and stole away the dragon scales the group brought back.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Ren and Nora woke up to the bright sun and packed for their long journey, taking a good supply of food, fur coats, and their bed rolls. They bid Pyrrha farewell and a safe journey, which she wished the same, and they left the city. By afternoon, Jaune woke up, only to be embraced in a bear hug by Pyrrha. When he dressed and gathered his sword, they walked down to the throne room, where Jaune was greeted by the Jarl, who expressed his thanks for slaying the dragon.

"Thank you, my Jarl," said Pyrrha. "But we must go prepare for our journey to High Hrothgar."

"High what?" said a puzzled Jaune.

"Ah yes, the home of the Greybeards…"

"The Grey-who?"

"…They are surely awaiting your arrival, Dragonborn. I wish you safe passage on your quest." Pyrrha took Jaune away, but they were stopped at the doors by Blake.

"So you really are the mythical Dragonborn," she said.

"I guess I am," Jaune admitted.

"I can understand why you're confused, Jaune. No one has seen a Dragonborn in ages; they were thought to have died long ago, probably since Martin Septim sacrificed his life to end the Oblivion War."

"What about you, Blake? What will you do now?" Pyrrha asked.

"I have recovered a few memories since the battle; seeing Jaune in battle might have triggered their return. I can remember growing up in a little town, and I had a friend with blond hair and blue eyes, like Jaune. As for now, I shall stay here at Whiterun and serve Jarl Balgruuf."

"Wait, I thought you grew up among the White Fang?" said Jaune.

"Hm? The White Fang?"

"Never mind," interjected Pyrrha. "We must be going now." Pyrrha dragged Jaune all the way back to their house.

"What was that about, Pyrrha?" Jaune questioned when they got inside. Pyrrha made him sit down in a chair so he could rest a little.

"I have a feeling that the Blake that lives up at Dragonsreach is not the Blake we know from Vale," she told him. "I feel like maybe she is the Blake of this world, like some alternative universe thing."

"Like from a science fiction show back home?" Jaune suggested, making Pyrrha nod. "Then why is it that Emerald is here in Skyrim like us?"

"Yep. Maybe back home, Blake is with Team RWBY, and they are wondering where we are right now. As for Emerald, I am unsure, but we should try to find her again when we can." Pyrrha could see the confusion in Jaune's eyes. "Either way, we should stop worrying about Blake and focus on reaching High Hrothgar."

"Why must I go to this place?" Jaune asked, standing up.

Pyrrha let out a sigh. "We have to go so you can learn more of the power of the Dragonborn. By going, you can become stronger, Jaune."

"I don't care, I just want to go home. I want to just worry about my grades, fighting Grimm, avoiding Cardin, and trying to win Weiss' heart." Those last words hit Pyrrha hard in the heart, but she hid her pain.

"But Jaune, you have to go. We are tied to this world whether we like it or not." Pyrrha then explained everything that happened the previous night, the Rangers, Ren and Nora leaving for Winterhold, and of the Dragonborn. "…and that's it. Jaune, you may very well be the only one capable of stopping the dragons from taking over the world of Tamriel. I'm sorry to lay all this on you."

Jaune collapsed in a chair again. "So, this Dragonborn was some incredible warrior who could battle dragons with the same power they use," he muttered.

"Yes, and the Greybeards will be able to help you grow stronger by training you to wield the power of the Thu'um more effectively."

Jaune looked up at his friend for about a minute, then he nodded. "Okay. I'll go. But first, I think I should take up Aela's offer and train with her a little before we set out."

"Good. I'll pack for the journey and meet you at their place." Pyrrha agreed to that and went upstairs to begin packing while Jaune went out.

When Jaune reached Jorrvaskr, he went around to the back where he found Aela, Farkas, and a few other Companions at training, attacking one another and the practice dummies that lined the far wall. "Ah, so you recovered at last," Aela remarked upon seeing him. "What brings you here, mighty cub?"

"I was wondering if you would be willing to train me to use a sword better," Jaune answered. Aela rose from her seat and encircled him, gazing at every inch of his build.

"I suppose I can teach you a few things, that is if you are willing to learn," she said to him. She took his hand and led him out onto the training grounds, where she drew her sword and shield, prompting him to draw his ebony blade from his hip. "Just focus on blocking all my sword strikes for now," she said as she lunged at him.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Not even an hour later, Pyrrha finished packing for the long journey. In both packs, there was plenty of fruit, some uncooked meat, their water canteens, torch sticks, flint and steel, a change of clothes, two maps, a compass, some potions, bandages, and their bed rolls. She tied a quiver of arrows to her own pack and grabbed her bow. "I hope this will be enough," she commented to herself. Slinging her pack onto her back, she carried Jaune's pack in hand and left the house, heading up to Jorrvaskr. There, she found Jaune and Aela stuck in a sword clash.

"Not bad, Jaune," Aela remarked, then broke the clash, throwing him back. Jaune regained his footing and blocked a vertical strike from Aela, then a horizontal. He ducked under a sword swipe and swung back, finding her shield instead. She bashed him with her shield, knocking him back, but he was not finished yet.

"Use your Aura, Jaune!" Pyrrha called. Jaune tried focusing on drawing out his Aura, but he could not, and thus was forced to block a slash from Aela. He forced her into a clash, but Aela merely smirked and sweep-kicked him, knocking his blade from his hand and found hers pointed at his chest.

"Yield," she said, signaling the end of the battle. Jaune groaned as he got to his feet and retrieved his sword. He went over to Pyrrha, who took a look at his body. "That was quite an impressive fight, I must say," Aela complimented as she sheathed her sword. "You have some flaws here and there, but you fight with bravery and determination."

"Thanks, Aela," Jaune added.

"It seems that it is time for you to go on your journey now. Let me leave you with a parting gift." Aela went over to a weapons rack and took an iron shield, which she gave to him. "Here, you'll need a replacement for the one the dragon destroyed."

"Thank you, Aela," Jaune said again, this time with a bow.

"And be sure to come back if you want another training session." Aela drew close to Jaune and gave him a kiss on the cheek (which made Pyrrha look away) and a departing smile. "Good luck on your journey and future battles, Jaune Arc."

With that done, Jaune and Pyrrha left Whiterun and began their long journey east for the town of Ivarstead, the milling town at the base of the Throat of the World, where High Hrothgar sits. The two warriors do not know what dangers awaits them along their journey, but they know that they have to endure them to become stronger, wiser, and more courageous.

"Ready, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as they crossed the bridge leading away from the Whiterun farmlands.

Jaune looked up at the tall mountain, then let slip a grin of excitement. "I'm ready, Pyrrha. I'm ready to become stronger now." She gave him a smile and they set off on their new adventure.

**CHAPTER END.**


	4. Road to Ivarstead

**Chapter 4: Road to Ivarstead**

In the days since Team JNPR disappeared from Vale, tension has risen around Beacon. Both Jaune and Pyrrha's families came to Ozpin one morning to demand the whereabouts of their children, though neither Nora or Ren's families appeared at all.

Alongside Mr and Mrs Arc was five of Jaune's sisters, Rouge, Blanc, Verte, Pourpre, and Noire, ages seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, twenty-three, and twenty-six years old respectively. The entire Arc and Nikos family gathered in Ozpin's office where Ozpin and Glynda met them. "Hello, Arcs and Nikos," Ozpin greeted in a somewhat cheerful tone.

"Don't give me that tone, Oz," snapped Mrs Bleu Arc. "I want to know where my son is, or so help Oum, you will rue the day you crossed me." Mr Gris Arc had to hold back his wife.

"I'm sorry, Ozpin," he apologized. "My wife has been on edge the last few days since Jaune disappeared. I'm very worried about him too, of course."

"I'm so worried about my little girl," Mrs Pandora Nikos. "I know she's a strong warrior and all, but to not know where she is…" Tears formed in her eyes and she broke down crying. Epimeth Nikos went over to console his wife while their eleven year old daughter, Thyia, sat by herself, worried about her older sister.

"Look, if I knew exactly where your children were, I would have told you days ago," Ozpin argued. "All I know is that several days ago, they went out into Vale to see a movie, according to their friends Team RWBY who live across from them. They reported that they had not returned later that day or the next. A police search was put in order a few days ago, but they have turned up nothing, though a few people have mentioned seeing them in the streets."

"How is it four teenagers could have disappeared out of the kingdom of Vale?" interjected Noire, who has been taking university courses to be an investigator. "I went to the Vale Information/Database Center and discovered that neither Jaune or the other three ever took an airship outside of the kingdom. There are no transactions on either of their Scrolls concerning airfare, nor was there any security footage of them at the airship stations the day they disappeared."

"I can see that your daughter is quite intelligent," Glynda commented with a light smile. Noire tilted her glasses and nodded at Glynda.

"Thank you, Ms Goodwitch."

"If Clair was here, she would be able to help a little," commented Pandora, thinking of her twenty-seven year old Huntress of a daughter. "And Brun, our eldest of twenty-nine, if only she wasn't so absorbed in her novels and come for this family crisis."

"Dear, just stay calm. I'm sure Jaune is alright."

"How can I stay calm when my poor boy is most likely cold, hungry, lost, scared, or even dead?!" she screamed.

"Mother, please sit down and relax," said Blanc. "Can we get some water for her?" Ozpin nodded and went away for a minute before coming back with a tall glass of water, which Bleu downed in seconds followed by a light burp.

"I am worried about Jaune as well, mother," Blanc continued. "We all are, but screaming about it won't help. It makes no sense that they could just disappear in the city despite not buying airship tickets out of the kingdom. The police have not found them anywhere. And frankly, I doubt Jaune or his teammates have any reason to want to disappear from everyone. Unless…" She looked at her father and nodded her head, which he understood right away.

"Oz, I have a confession to make. Jaune is not an official student of Beacon. He has always had trouble trying to utilize his Aura and he has never discovered his Semblance, despite having lots of help from Claire. His fighting skill lack depth, and his reaction speed is slow. I felt saddened for my only son, who dreamed of becoming a Huntsman and a brave warrior like his grandfather, so I dug up some fake transcripts to Beacon and helped sneak him in." Gris hung his head low in shame, waiting for Ozpin's answer.

"I know all about his transcripts," Ozpin said, surprising the entire Arc family. "I have always known, even before he stepped foot onto Beacon grounds." Ozpin gave Gris a cunning grin. "Do not underestimate the Great and Powerful Ozpin, Arcs. I allowed Jaune to stay at Beacon to train and learn because…because when I saw him, I saw his grandfather in him. I saw the potential for him to become a great Huntsman, and that is why he stays. That is why I assigned him leader of his own team."

"You're a shifty man, Oz," Rouge commented. "If Jaune has such potential, why is he so clumsy and getting bad grades? We've seen his tests and he sends letters home every week."

"I shall answer that another time. But now it is time for the Nikos family to make an input." He waved his hand at the family to proceed.

Pandora's brunet husband stepped forward. "You allowed a boy to sneak his way into your school and you put him in charge of my daughter? A girl who is far more talented and capable of being a leader must obey a fluke of a Huntsman?" Epimeth felt his anger rising, but the redheaded Pandora took his hand, which helped him calm down.

"Dear, while it seems frustrating, Ozpin does have a good reason for his decision, like he always does. Besides, we're getting off topic. Ozpin, wherever our children may be, do you believe that they are safe?"

Ozpin rubbed his chin for a minute. "I just know it somehow. And I know that both Jaune and Pyrrha are completely safe, wherever they are."

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang sat in their room, pouring over a map of Vale. "Okay, so the Valen Theater is the closest to Beacon, and yet Jaune and the others were last seen here," Yang noted, drawing a circle around the theater's central area.

Ruby sat by herself on Weiss' bed with Zwei by her side. "I hope Jaune is alright," she mumbled. "He's so fragile and weak…"

"Ruby, Jaune may be a bumbling fool at times, but don't underestimate his fighting skills," Weiss told her. "Believe me, I've seen him in action before, and when he gets serious, he's one tough cookie."

"I could use a cookie right now…"

"Did I hear Little Red saying she needed cookies?" said a voice. Blake closed the door behind her with her book under one arm and a plate of cookies in hand. She smiled as Ruby took the cookies from her and devoured them.

"Find anything in the library computers, Blake?" Yang asked.

"None. You should've seen Jaune and Pyrrha's families leave a while ago. Their mothers were in tears, and half of Jaune's sisters wore depressing faces," she answered.

"I heard that they just up and disappeared in Vale that day," Weiss noted. As a member of the Schnee family, I took a close look at the airship transactions and found no tickets purchased from either member of JNPR, so they must still be in Vale somewhere."

"So does that mean it's time to go looking for more information?" Ruby asked getting excited for an adventure.

"Sounds like it, Ruby," Weiss said with a small grin.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Due northeast of Whiterun, Ren and Nora were currently followed the river running from the north. Along the bank, they stopped for a rest, where Ren poured over the map."Okay, Winterhold lies at the far northeast of here," he noted. Nora was barely paying attention as she was splashing around in the river, hoping to catch a fish for herself. "And this river we are following leads straight to Windhelm, which lies south of Winterhold. So by following the river, we can reach Windhelm by nightfall and stay there for the night. Nora, please pay attention."

"Yes, Ren," she answered, skipping back over to him. The wind began to pick up, and a gust of wind slashed across Ren's body, chilling him to the bone. He buttoned up his fur coat and threw up his hood. Nora buttoned herself up as well. "It seems to be getting colder out here," she muttered, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Ren sighed and pocketed the map. "Next time, don't go splashing in the cold water." He gave her a stern look, but he lightened up when he saw her shivering in place. He went over and ignited a ball of fire in his hand, helping Nora warm up a little. Suddenly, a loud roar echoed across the sky. "Nora, hide!" Ren ordered. The two dashed to a nearby boulder and hid behind it just as a large dragon screeched across the sky, heading south across the land.

"Oh no, I hope Jaune and Pyrrha don't run into it," Ren muttered.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

At that moment, Jaune and Pyrrha were heading east and the Valtheim Towers came into view. "Look at those, Pyrrha," Jaune said, pointing towards them. "The landmarks in Skyrim are breathtaking, aren't they?"

"Yes, I must agree," she said, giving him a smile. They trekked on, heading straight for the towers. When the reached the tower doors, they were stopped by a Nord in leather armor.

"Halt, those who want to pass the towers must pay a toll," she said with a sharp tongue that could only be matched by the sharp steel sword in her hand.

"What? A toll?" Jaune complained.

"It's not much, just about fifty septims."

"That's a lot!" Pyrrha pulled Jaune away towards the mountain rocks.

"Jaune, I noticed an archer up on the collapsed roof," she whispered, looking towards the rooftops where a burly Orc with a bow watched them. "These towers are in ruins, and I'm betting these people are bandits who extort travelers. I say we kill them and take anything of value, and free this path from their reign."

"Pyrrha, how can you talk of murdering people?" he argued. "I know we have killed people before, but that was when our lives were in danger, unlike now. How can you decide so easily whether to kill someone?"

Pyrrha looked away. "I…I'll tell you another time. Please, Jaune, I don't want to imagine what these bandits will do to someone who is unable to pay their toll." Pyrrha's mind raced with the different possibilities, and it frightened her.

"Okay," he said, making her look him straight in the eye. "If it will help other people, then let's do it." He shrugged off his pack, which Pyrrha did the same and walked back to the Nord.

"Decided yet, or would you rather turn back?" she spat.

Jaune cracked his right hand, and in a flash, his ebony sword was in his hand. The Nord was caught off guard and found the black blade in her chest. "We're under attack!" she yelled out before Jaune pulled his blade out and slashed across her chest, killing her.

"Pyrrha, go after the archer up on the roof," he ordered. "Take out any other archers up there while I work on the fighters."

"Remember that you have your Thu'um too." He nodded and they kicked open the gate together and ran inside and up the broken staircase. They met the rooftop archer on the stairway with an arrow nocked. Upon seeing the pair, he let loose his arrow, but Pyrrha moved it aside with her polarity, taking him by surprise followed by a spearsword to the gut. Jaune headed for the bridge while Pyrrha went for the roof with her bow. She spotted six bandits wearing leather armor and carrying swords, maces, and hand axes. One of the bandits had a large steel warhammer, which could spell trouble for Jaune. She spotted an archer on the opposite tower and nocked an arrow. Taking in effect the trajectory, she fired, where the arrow struck the bandit archer in his neck, killing him. She spotted another archer on the boulders behind the tower to the right and took him out, then she headed down to aid Jaune.

On the bridge, two bandits with maces and axes ran at Jaune. "FUS!" he shouted, bellowing a large energy field outward, which knocked one bandit off the bridge to his death and the other to stumble to the floor, opening him up. Jaune bore down on the bandit, crossing swords. The bandit fought back fiercely, but Jaune was stronger. Jaune swung his shield into the bandit's head, knocking him asunder, then followed with a stab to the chest. Pyrrha came in behind him.

"Nice shouting there," she complimented. "You see the brute with the warhammer, right?"

"Yep, I see him charging for us now. I'll keep him distracted, and when I break his guard open, you strike, got it?" Pyrrha nodded and hung back close to him. Jaune rushed in with his shield raised. The brute swung his warhammer horizontal, but Jaune leapt back, dodging it by a hair's length. He ducked in with a sword strike, but the brute blocked it with his weapon's shaft. The brute fought back Jaune and knocked him backwards, raising his warhammer to crush the teen into pulp. "NOW, PYRRHA!" Jaune shouted. The brute realized his blunder of being distracted with Jaune and looked up to see Pyrrha leaping over the fallen boy. She plunged her spearsword directly into the brute's chest, splashing blood onto armor and stone.

Jaune and Pyrrha cheered over their victory and high-fived one another. Gathering up their packs, they rummaged through the chests and bodies, taking about seventy septims and a few fruits and a couple gems, which Pyrrha poured into a pouch for herself. She also replenished her quiver from one of the archers she killed. While crossing across the bridge, she found Jaune standing in the middle, staring off into the east horizon. She glanced down at a nearby body and let out a sigh. "Jaune, I'm sorry I made you kill these people," she said.

"It's nothing," he told her. "Like you said, now that these bandits are dead, all travelers passing through here will not have to suffer from their toll." He looked at her a heartfelt smile. "C'mon, let's try to reach a good place to stop before nightfall." Pyrrha nodded and they headed across the bridge, but then a loud roar filled the sky. The pair stopped dead in their tracks at the sound.

"Could it be…?" Pyrrha muttered. Jaune slipped off his pack and looked towards the northern mountain range. From over the mountain tops, a dragon flew overhead, letting out another roar as it flew over the teens. It doubled back towards them, knowing full well that Jaune was there.

"DRAGON!" Jaune shouted, drawing his sword and shield. "TAKE IT DOWN!" Pyrrha drew her bow and fired an arrow into the dragon, and while it did not seem to register to the dragon, it did a little damage nonetheless. Jaune ran out onto the bridge. "FUS!" he shouted, sending a force of energy that barely made the dragon flinch.

"_Ha ha! Do not believe that a tiny shout can faze me, Dovahkiin_," laughed the dragon. "_You are but a hatchling compared to I_."

"We shall see," Jaune warned. The dragon flew close to try to snatch Jaune in its mouth, but Jaune either sidestep its bite attack or slashed his sword across its face. Pyrrha chose to attack from afar with her bow and fireballs, which did a considerate amount of damage to the beast. Jaune realized that in this environment, the dragon has little room to maneuver with the bridge in the way, which could prove disastrous to the pair if destroyed. The dragon lunged forward for another bite attack, but Jaune jabbed his sword straight into its jaw as it neared, making it reel back in pain. Jaune saw his opportunity and slung his shield onto his shoulder. Before Pyrrha could anticipate his next move, he leapt off the stone bridge and onto the dragon's head. He raised his sword high while it was dazed and plunged it directly into its skull, silencing the dragon forever.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed, rushing out onto the bridge for him. "Grab my hand!" She stretched out her hand for him, but the dragon's wings had already faltered, and it fell into the rushing river with Jaune. "JAUNE!" She watched him be taken away in the river. She was about to jump in to rescue him when she remembered their packs. "Even if I rescued him, we need our supplies to survive afterwards," she thought. "Fuck!" she cursed, and ran back to the doors. She slung both packs over her shoulder and dove out a open window and onto solid ground again, then broke into a sprint.

Pyrrha applied her Aura to her feet, allowing her to run faster as she dove off a cliff for a short fall to get closer to the riverbed. She spotted Jaune and the dead dragon's corpse thrash about in the rushing water a little bit ahead of her. "JAUNE!" she cried out, reaching a hand out for him. Out in the water, Jaune saw Pyrrha's distinct red hair and tried to cry out for her, but the rushing waters took him under. Underwater, he watched as the dragon dissolved into bones, yet stayed together, and the whirling winds were unconsciously absorbed into him, granting him the dragon's soul. This proved hazardous, for now, the swirling skeleton caught hold of one of Jaune's legs, trapping him against it. Jaune tried to free himself, but with all the tumbling, it proved difficult.

Pyrrha found that she could not keep up with the rushing river, as she watched the dragon's skeleton tumble over a waterfall and out of sight. Tears formed in her eyes as her pace slowed down, and she ended up tripping over a rock, landing face first in the dirt. She pounded the ground with her fist and wept. "Jaune…" she stuttered.

Far away from Pyrrha's location, Jaune began to fade away into darkness underwater. He desperately tried to hold in his breath, but he already felt himself beginning to slip away. the dragon's skeleton soon came to a slow drift in the river, but Jaune still could not unhook his leg from its ribcage. As his eyes came to a close, he saw a shadowy figure in the water swimming for him. A hand reached out for him, but he had already faded away.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Within a few hours, night had fallen across the sky. Far to the east, down the river, a lonely fire could be seen at a distance. At the campfire, an unconscious Jaune laid close to the fire warming up while his rescuer was off somewhere. A few minutes pass, and his rescuer returns with firewood, her black cloak shrouding her face. She threw a couple sticks into the fire, making it grow, and went to Jaune's side. She made her hand glow with a healing spell and caressed it over his chest. "You've taken a number of bumps and scratches," she whispered to him. "You should be thankful master ordered me to keep a close watch on you and that Pyrrha Nikos," Maura told him.

Maura lowered her hood, revealing long blond hair and blue eyes. Not only that, her ears were long and pointy, signaling her heritage as a Wood Elf. "You should also be thankful that I'm an incredible sorceress as well, else your wounds would have taken longer to heal. Your little minor healing spell that you and Pyrrha know would take a long while to heal these." Maura went to a small canister on her belt and uncorked it. She dripped a strange red liquid from it onto a big cut on Jaune's chest, which began to come together and heal nearly instantly.

"There, that should take care of you. Try to be more careful, Jaune Arc, though I know you won't with the long journey ahead of you." Maura's head shot up and looked back. She sensed Pyrrha closing in on them, thanks to the lone fire. "Well, I better go now. Good luck, Jaune Arc." Maura reached down and kissed Jaune's cheek and laid a yellow flower near his hand. With a wave of her hand, she disappeared into yellow wisps of light and vanished into the trees.

Pyrrha saw the fire from afar, and sprinted straight for it. When she came into view, she spotted Jaune lying near the fire and rushed towards him, sliding to the ground before him and took him in her arms. "Oh, Jaune," she whispered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Thank Oum that you're alright." Pyrrha merely held him close to her, and he began to come to.

"Pyrrha?" he groaned. Pyrrha's mouth curled into a wide smile and she hugged him closer. "Pyrrha, what happened? Last thing I remember was being underwater with her leg caught in the dragon's skeleton, and then nothing."

Pyrrha saw the yellow flower and picked it up. "It looks like someone rescued you," she said, now noticing that his wounds were fully healed. "Whoever they were, they are an expert healer too."

The two decided to rest there for the night and move out in the morning. They cooked some of the meat for dinner and drank some of their water. Pyrrha took the first watch to give Jaune some extra rest after what happened today. Pyrrha's mind ran wild over who was it that had saved Jaune. She suspected that maybe it was a random traveler, but what traveler would risk their life to save some random person? She gave up wondering and instead prayed her thanks to the Divines of Tamriel for sending someone to rescue Jaune.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Far away from the campsite, Maura materialized back into human form and began her trek down the pathway. "I see you rescued the boy," said a man's voice, making her stop in her tracks.

"Master, is that you?" Maura asked, spying a man leaning against a tree. Her master was shorter than Maura, but his title is not matched by his height. He pushed himself from the tree, his black cloak swirling around him and hiding his face. Like his followers, he was clad in ranger clothing, though his were a dark red and green. A longsword with a gold hilt wrapped in black leather around the grip hung at his hip, and his brown leather boots boomed against the stone path.

"I know you were assigned to watch over the boy for now, but do not baby him," he said, pointing a black, fingerless glove at her. "Jaune Arc will not grow stronger if he must rely on others to save him."

"B-But he was drowning, sire," Maura argued. "Pyrrha Nikos was too far away, and he would have lasted long trapped in the dragon's ribcage, so I–"

"Silence!" he hissed, making her shrink back. His teeth clenched up, but he soon breathed easy. "Your act is dully noted, but he must survive on his own. If he does not grow stronger, then he will be no match against Alduin. His dragon kills so far have all been just blind stupidity, nothing more. Potential is wasted if not used correctly."

Maura dropped to one knee. "Forgive me, sire."

"Rise up, Maura, for you are forgiven." He extended his hand and she took it, rising up off the ground. "We shall return to our home. There, we can check if Somusli has finished working on the dragonscales you picked up." The master could see something in Maura's eye. "You will meet Jaune Arc again, I promise."

"Thank you, sire," Maura said a bow. Together, they headed west for the Falkreath region.

**–The Next Morning–**

Waking up well-rested, Jaune and Pyrrha ate a quick breakfast and began the journey south for Ivarstead, the town at the bottom of the mountain. They traveled across the green forests for a couple hours, stopping to take a short break or to check the map and compass. They encounter minor creatures, usually a few wolves, but a couple times they ran in a lonely bandit that threatened to kill them if they did not hand over their coin purse. Pyrrha took it upon herself to kill them and take their purses for themselves.

"While I appreciate you getting us more money, isn't it kind of wrong to be killing people and stealing their purses?" Jaune questioned.

Pyrrha juggled a small coin purse in her hand. "Well, since we are killing criminals and stealing their purses, which I guarantee that they stole themselves, I consider it being a good citizen."

Jaune did not respond back to that comment, for they suddenly heard a scream through the trees. Drawing their blades, they dashed through the trees and came upon an interesting scene. A priestess was hiding behind a hulking man wearing a Stormcloak cuirass, fur gauntlets, fur boots, a Stormcloak helm, and he was swinging around a large steel broadsword. He was surrounded by four bandits, whom were all wearing fur armor, though one, an Orc, had on Orcish armor and had a large Orcish battleaxe.

Though Jaune felt hesitant about helping a Stormcloak, he knew they could not turn away especially with a priestess there. He silently directed Pyrrha to take position on the opposite side of the bandits while he hid on the other. He gave a bird call, which was the signal, and he and Pyrrha leapt out. Jaune decapitated one bandit in the surprise attack, and Pyrrha killed another with a stab in the gut. The remaining bandits knew they were doomed, but it was too late for them. The Orc bandit the Stormcloak was fighting grew enraged, and he put the pressure on the soldier. The other bandit charged at Jaune, but the teen ducked under the axe swipe and pushed the bandit down onto the ground. With him down, he plunged his blade into the man's back, killing him. Jaune charged at the Orc, but in his fury, the Orc grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him a good distance. Pyrrha charged up a ball of fire and threw it, striking the Orc in the back, distracting it temporarily. This gave the soldier an opening, and he swung his broadsword into the Orc's neck, splattering blood onto himself and on the ground.

"Th-Thank you so much!" cried the priestess, coming out from behind her protector. "If you two didn't come along, who knows what would have happened."

"It was no trouble," Jaune commented. The priestess ran over and hugged him tight, giving him a kiss on the cheek. When she drew away, Jaune got a good look at her face under her hood, where he spotted two long bunny ears. "Velvet?"

The priestess lowered her hood, revealing herself. Jaune and Pyrrha confirmed that she does indeed look like second-year Huntress and Rabbit Faunus Velvet Scarletina. "I do not know how you know my name, but nonetheless, I am eternally grateful for you, and may the Goddess Kynareth bless you both for your good deeds."

The Stormcloak removed his helmet, revealing himself as Yatsuhashi, Velvet's teammate back home in Vale. Without saying a word, he walked over and shook hands with Jaune and Pyrrha, clearly he did not recognize them.

"So, what are you two doing out here in the wilderness?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well, I am currently heading to Whiterun's Temple of Kynareth. I was at Windhelm and requested aid from the Jarl for traveling, but he refused to help me because Kynareth is commonly associated with the Imperial Legion."

"That's horrible," Pyrrha commented.

"Yes, but Yatsuhashi, who happens to be one of Jarl Ulfric's elite soldiers, offered to escort me safely to Whiterun by himself, free of charge, despite that he would be entering into Imperial territory."

Pyrrha went to her belt and pulled a coin purse that she took from a bandit recently and tossed it to Velvet. "Here, take it. When you get to Whiterun, buy Yatsuhashi a drink commemorating his bravery and kind heart." Velvet nodded and she and Yatsuhashi disappeared over the hills, giving the two warriors a final wave goodbye.

Jaune and Pyrrha continued their journey, and it appeared to be smooth sailing as well, for they encountered no more bandits, wolves, or anything dangerous, though they still kept their guard up. The afternoon sun basked in the sky just as they came over a hillside, where the small mining town of Ivarstead laid before them. Even from afar, Jaune and Pyrrha could see Lake Geir adjacent to the town, with a fork of the Darkwater River pouring through a sawmill in the town, where the river then joined the White River out. As they came to the outskirts of town, the pair of Huntsmen felt their breath slip away as they stared up at the tallest mountain in Skyrim, the Throat of the World, which made them feel so small and insignificant.

As they strolled through town, Pyrrha took note of everyone and everything. Few reacted to them, and across the river, she could spy a broken down house. "The townspeople looked miserable and even terrified," she told Jaune, who spotted a farmer who looked like he was going to the chopping block. "Something is wrong in this town."

"I can see an inn, maybe we can get some information about what's going on," he noted, pointing to the "Vilemyr Inn." Inside, they were greeted by the owner, Wilhelm.

"Welcome to Ivarstead," he greeted as they walked over to him. "Judging from your clothes and weapons, I'd say that you two are travelers. Lovers, even." That last comment made Jaune adn Pyrrha blush. "I'm just joking with you two," he laughed. "Sorry, with things the way they are, I try to stay cheerful."

"What has happened to this town?" Pyrrha inquired. "Everyone seems miserable even though the day is bright."

"Well, it's due to the Shroud Hearth Barrow that lies to the east of town nearby. A lot of us here believe it to be cursed, for we keep hearing some kind of wailing echoing from it at night, and Temba Wide-Arm even said that she saw a ghost hovering around the entrance!"

"A g-g-ghost?" Jaune shivered.

"Aye, it was all a pale blue and glided on a pocket of air wherever it went. Since that spirit has appeared, the town has been in decline, and most townsfolk have left to go anywhere other than here."

"That's saddening," Pyrrha noted. She walked away for a moment, thinking about something. She came back over in less than a minute. "What if Jaune and I go check out the barrow and confirm if the rumors of this ghost are true?"

"Pyrrha, are you nuts?" Jaune questioned.

"Really? If it turns out to a hoax, then that will breath life back into this town! Tell you what, for assigning yourself this task, you two can have a room for free for a few nights, since I imagine you two must also want to trek the 7000 Steps."

Jaune nodded. "Yep, we are our way to High Hrothgar."

"Well, as an added bonus, I will lend you two fur coats for the journey up the mountain later. But for now, rest until nightfall, that's when the ghost comes out," Wilhelm offered.

"Thank you, Wilhelm," Pyrrha said with a bow. "We shall accept your offer."

Jaune and Pyrrha dropped their packs off in their room, then they viewed their map with Wilhelm, who pointed the barrow out to them. After that, the two teens went out to the river where Pyrrha gave Jaune a little sword training until nightfall. Though Jaune has proven himself formidable against bandits, trained soldiers, giant spiders, and even dragons, fighting against a well-trained Huntress who has won the Ms Regional tournaments four years running proved to be too much for him, though he did hold his own against his partner longer than he could back in Vale. "You still need to watch your footing," Pyrrha remarked, helping him up from the ground.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Night fell across the sky, and Jaune and Pyrrha prepared for the barrow by emptying their packs of their gear and filled them with a few torches, potions, arrows, throwing knives, and some fruit and water. Wilhelm promised to keep a close eye on their gear, and a tip of twenty septims made that promise even harder than steel.

Outside of town, near Shroud Hearth Barrow, something stirred inside. From within the entrance, the ghost emerged, patrolling the outskirts of the barrow. The ghost was clad in a blue-white shroud and was transparent. It appeared in the form of a man, however. It specter let out a deathly wail that echoed across town, where Jaune and Pyrrha heard in their inn room.

"Are you ready for this, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked as she strapped her spearsword to her hip.

Jaune took in a deep breath. "Kinda. I'm not really keen on trying to find a ghost, is all," he answered. He slung his shield onto his back. "But I know I cannot be afraid, so let us go ghost busting."

**CHAPTER END.**


End file.
